


When the Sheers Cut

by RegalGirl94



Series: Scream [3]
Category: Scream (TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Embedded Images, F/F, F/M, Gun Violence, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sexual Content, To Be Continued, mtv
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-07-10 07:28:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19902031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RegalGirl94/pseuds/RegalGirl94
Summary: When Halloween rolls around, all Athena and her friends want to do is forget about last Halloween.  Their chance comes with a surprise all expenses paid trip to a nearby Island for the weekend, courtesy of Noah and Stavo's publisher.  But danger lurks everywhere, and they can't escape.  There's a killer on the Island, and they may have to fight their way out of another killing spree.





	1. The Boogie Man

**Author's Note:**

> Here's part three of my Scream series coming! There will be more for Athena after the Scream show as well.

Athena moaned in her sleep, feeling a heated pleasure racing up her spine. She didn't know what was causing the sensation, until she blinked her eyes open and looked down to see her boyfriend's head between her legs.

She tightened her thighs around his head when he licked a particularly sensitive spot. And the pleasure exploded, causing her to stuff her head sideways into her pillow to cry out. Will was only panting a little as he kissed his way back up to her face, "Good morning."

She laughed, "Good morning to you too. What was that for?"

"Figured it was a good way to wake up," he shrugged. "Considering the plans for today."

She frowned, "We got a bit of a trip ahead of us, don't we?" She looked over at her clock and saw it was way early, still dark out. She gazed up at Will with a smirk and shifted her hips, so she hit his erection, drawing a groan out from him. "We still have time before we have to leave."

Will grinned, pressing his lips to her languidly. She opened her legs as he slipped her underwear all the way off of her. He turned her around, so she was on her stomach and tugged off his boxer shorts. He slid deep within her, and she sighed out from the pleasure of being filled up. He pushed her hair off her shoulder and kissed up her neck as he began thrusting in and out of her.

She spread her legs to give him more room to get deeper and bent her head back, "Ugh, fuck, Will..."

"You feel so good," he hissed into her ear as he gained speed.

She felt the world shatter around her as she clenched up, feeling unbelievable pleasure in her body. It was like all the molecules making up her separated and put themselves back together again. She felt him stagger and then shudder inside her, filling her up with heat and love as he panted into her neck.

"What a way to start the day," he joked.

* * *

Athena had changed outfits at least three times, going from business, to casual, to too dressed up. She had no idea how to present herself for what she was going to do. But eventually, she realized it didn't matter so much what she wore for the flight. So, she slipped on some jeans and a ratty t-shirt and dragged her suitcase down the stairs.

"Let me get that," Till offered, making his way up the first half of the stairs and taking the suitcase from her.

"Thanks, Till," she smiled, surprised to see him. In the months after everything happened, Diana had cracked and admitted everything to Till. He was understandably really upset, slept on the couch for three weeks before separating from Diana and going to stay with a bachelor friend of his in town. They kept things civil for the sake of Lana. Athena was just relieved that he didn't seem to hate her for being the product of an affair. He had sat her down after everything came out and told her that he had spent seventeen years thinking of her as his daughter, mourning her disappearance, and rejoicing in her return. He told her that as far as he was concerned, she was his daughter.

"So, who's taking you to the airport?" he asked as he set the suitcase on the floor by the front door.

"Emma offered to drive us," she answered, smelling some good food for breakfast coming from the kitchen.

"That's good," he murmured, growing awkward as he walked into the kitchen with Athena where Diana was making waffles. "Smells good," he offered, taking a seat at the table.

The door opened up, revealing Maggie and Emma walking in. Diana had pushed big group breakfast gatherings in the mornings, especially on weekends. Maggie and Emma came over pretty much every morning because they were right next door. Will was often over to get breakfast and take Athena and Emma to school. Sometimes Noah showed up unannounced, dragging Audrey with him. Gustavo was invited but he felt awkward now that everyone knew about Diana and his dad.

"Hey!" Maggie called into the house.

Emma smiled and walked in to give Athena a hug, "Hey, how are you feeling? I can't believe you're actually going through with this."

"I'm just glad it's a three-day weekend, so I don't have to be nervous about missing schoolwork too," Athena shrugged.

"Oh, don't be nervous," Emma tried to assure her gently. "It's going to be fine. You just have to keep up your badass attitude. Don't let anything get to you."

"She's right," Will's voice called out into the house as he walked down the stairs with his own bag. He walked over and gave Athena a kiss on the cheek, "You ready to head out?"

"Breakfast first," Diana's stern voice reached them, the woman pointing her spatula at them threateningly.

Athena rolled her eyes, pulling Will to the table with the others to dig into waffles and fresh fruit Diana had set out.

"Athena, are you scared?" Lana's small voice asked from across the table.

Athena swallowed her bite of waffle, "Not really scared. A bit nervous. But it's something I have to do and the sooner the better. Get it over with."

"There might be press there if they get wind of you coming," Maggie warned her. "It's just gained a second wind now that Stavo and Noah did that book."

"Yeah, but I don't think anyone knows," Will mused, taking a bite of his strawberries.

"Right," Athena agreed. "And if I do see any press getting in my face, I'll just punch them again."

"Oh, God, don't remind me," Diana groaned into her hands, earning muffled laughter from others at the table.

"I barely bruised him," Athena reassured her. "There was no backlash."

"No attacking press," Diana pointed at her sternly. "Okay, young lady?"

"I'll try my best," she quipped, finishing her food.

Soon enough, Will loaded both her and his small suitcases into the back of Emma's car and announced that they were ready to head out for the airport. Athena was glad that Emma was driving them because if Diana had gotten her way, she would be in tears at the airport drop off and make them late for their flight. She was nervous enough to go into a plane again as it was.

The drive to the airport was short and sweet, Emma asking, "Are you absolutely sure you're ready for this?"

"Does it matter?" she asked, gazing out the window.

"Yes, no one is forcing you to do this," Emma pointed out. "This was something you wanted. But that doesn't mean you're actually ready for it."

"I am ready," Athena insisted. "I just want to look him in the eye, get my answers, and tell him to go fuck himself and then get out. Pretty simple, I think."

"Okay," Emma backed off.

"I'll be there for her," Will piped up from the back seat, reaching forward to clasp his hand around Athena's arm, show that he was there for her.

"Here we are," Emma announced as she drove up to the airline drop off for departing. "Be safe. Have some fun too while you're there."

"We'll try," Athena winked at her before pulling her into a side hug and getting out of the car as Will was getting their bags out of the back.

Will kept his hand around her as they made their way through the airport after Emma drove off. He took over the process of checking into their flight and handing over their tickets as Athena's head was somewhere else the whole time. She was so nervous on the plane, Will had even given her a sleeping pill and let her snooze away on his shoulder until they landed in Portland, Oregon.

"How was your two-hour long nap?" he teased Athena when they flagged down a taxi car on the airport curbside. "It'll be my turn on the road."

She smiled lazily and kissed his cheek, "Sure thing. It'll still only be half the time we were on the plane but whatever."

"Where are we meeting this Dido?" Will asked, just a twinge of jealousy in his voice.

"Don't take that tone," Athena chided him teasingly. "Dido and I are only friends now and you and I love each other. She's meeting us at the bagel place where she works, where we will get free food and then hit the road. We have an appointment to make."

"We could have made the appointment tomorrow, so you had time to settle down here before seeing him," Will mentioned, for the fourth time.

She sighed, "I know, but I didn't want to be waiting and anticipating it for too long. This way I have more time to decompress before we're back on a plane."

Kissing her temple, he accepted her reasoning and they stayed quiet until the cab pulled up to a plaza and dropped them off. Athena was admittedly nervous to meet up with her ex-girlfriend with Will in tow. Dido was a brash and crude person. And coming from Athena herself, that meant a great big something. She just hoped Dido and Will didn't rub each other the wrong way, since they'd be spending the weekend in each other's company.

The bell dinged above the door as Will held it open for her, and the first thing she saw was a head of brightly dyed magenta hair. And then she felt the Dido-vice grip around her shoulders. "Oh, my darling Princess, you've returned to the Kingdom!"

Will kept to himself as the girls reunited.

Athena hugged her back, "Only until tomorrow night. But yeah."

Dido pulled back and flipped her crimped hair over and over her shoulders, "Like the new color? Had to do something special for your trip back home."

"I didn't think there was a color on the spectrum that you hadn't tried yet," Athena said. "But I see nothing else has changed. I thought you were going to leave this Popsicle stand for bigger and better things?"

"I'm still working on that," Dido muttered before turning her calculating stare to Will. "So, this is Pretty Boy?"

Will gave Athena a mock-glare, "Always a nickname." He extended his hand out to Dido, "I'm really named Will."

Dido circled him instead of taking his hand, running her eyes up and down his form with thought. "Hmmm. What makes you worthy of our girl here?"

Will, smartly, kept his mouth shut. _She's not our girl, she's_ my _girl._

Athena, however, laughed, "He's already my boyfriend, Dido. And both of my brothers have given him their approval already."

Dido's eyes widened with humor, "I still can't believe that you found not one, but _two_ secret families since last year. You have had one crazy ride, girl. And you're just making it crazier with this visit thing."

Athena sighed. That made ten people telling her she didn't have to do what she was about to do. She was tired of hearing it. "I know it may seem like it's too soon. But we're going to be done with High School soon. Then it'll be college and Will and I are still deciding if we're going to go with New York or North Carolina. Who knows when I'll get another chance to do this and until I do, I'll always be wondering why, why, why."

Dido gave her and Will a suspicious look, "You're planning college around this kid?"

Will was obviously offended, "Life is short. We talked about it and neither of us see the point of spending time apart. And we'll decide the geography of it all together."

Dido narrowed her eyes at him, "But-"

"Dido," Athena cut her off sternly, "you know what happened in Lakewood, _twice._ We all know that life is too short, and I know I want to spend my life with Will. Because I love him. And that is the end of the conversation."

Dido kept up her own stern stare for a few moments before finally nodding, "Fine. We should grab breakfast and get on the road. We have an appointment. At Oregon State Penitentiary."

* * *

Athena was quiet for most of their second transportation. Will did take a small cat nap in the back seat while Dido drove them, but for the most part kept his arm around Athena's shoulders and offered her his silent comfort for the better part of the hour they were in the car on the way to Salem, Oregon.

When she saw the barbed wire fences of Oregon State Penitentiary, she shuddered.

But Dido smiled as she parked the car, "Well, look at that. Ten minutes to spare before you have to check in with Administration."

Athena peered up to check the clock and saw it was indeed ten till noon. So, she took the time to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. She almost wanted to tell Dido to turn around and take them all back to Portland. She had almost forgotten what his face looked like. She had almost reached a point in her life where he didn't cross her mind, or a random childhood memory of when they were happy didn't float through her. But that hadn't happened yet. Him and his crime still plagued her and tainted her past. And she didn't want it to have a hold on her future. That was just for her.

She clamored out of the car and strut up to the building when the clock struck 11:59. After checking in and getting her visitor badge, she waited on pins and needles for her and other visitors to be let in. Will rubbed her shoulders from behind her and whispered, "It's going to be okay. I'll be right out here waiting for you."

"We both will be," Dido corrected softly.

Athena couldn't speak. She felt like her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. So, she just nodded to them and followed the small group of other visitors inside. It looked almost just like it did in the movies. A row of windows with phones and hard plastic chairs. She showed a guard her badge with the name of the person she was visiting on it and he gruffly grunted and pointed to the window at the end of the row.

She felt as if she were about to walk to the gallows. So, she walked as slowly as possible. When she saw his face, her lungs felt like they froze under and her heart felt like ice. He looked the same as he did the last time she saw him. Right before she left the house for that damned job interview. He had given her a bottle of water – because being the doting father she thought he was, he knew she got dry mouth when she was nervous – and a kiss on the cheek before wishing her luck out the door.

The only thing different about him was the new uniform – prison jumpsuit. But there he was, as composed as always – Alonzo Contos.

She tried to hide her shaking as she took her seat and loudly scooted forward. She covertly wiped her hand on her jeans before grabbing the phone and holding it to her ear. She refused to greet him though. He would make the first move. Not her.

Slowly, with wheels turning in his eyes, he picked up his own phone and spoke lowly, "You have no idea how happy I am to see you, Nanna."

"You don't get to call me that," she hissed. She had sworn to herself that she wouldn't get heated, that she wouldn't let him get to her. That she wouldn't show him that he could get to her. "No one calls me that anymore."

"Did those – _people_ – change your name to Julia, then?" he snarled, his calm demeanor warping.

She kept her face as calm as possible, "Jules. And no. We arranged it, so I'd keep the name Athena since I'd been answering to it for years. But my last name is Tyler. Like it was when I was born. Before you _stole_ me."

"We _saved_ you," he leaned forward, nose almost pressing into the glass. "Those people didn't love you. They didn't want you; they had their child. You were always meant to be ours."

Athena coldly stared at him and leaned back in her chair, clutching the phone in her clammy hand, "You can't possibly believe that you can justify what you did, to me."

"We didn't do what we did to hurt you." For a moment as he said so, he looked like the father she once thought he was. He looked sincere. "We did it for us. Gretchen and I were desperate for our family to become whole. And when we found you, we knew that you were part of it."

In disbelief, she shook her head to herself. "How can you look at me right now and not be sorry? How could you live with yourself for what you two did? You wanted a child more than anything but it was only too easy to steal one away from someone else!"

"Because they didn't deserve you!" He shouted. He was given a warning smack by a passing guard behind him and quieted. "You were conceived by a moral crime! The moment your mother told me that Diana woman had an affair and didn't want you, I knew we had to save you from them. That they would always treat you like the mistake you were to them. Are you really telling me that I should feel sorry for what we did to them?"

"Forget about what you did to them, what about me!?" Athena's voice cracked as she asked one of the questions that had been plaguing her for a year. She blinked rapidly when she felt her eyes misting. "What about what you did to me? Did you think about that when you took me? Did you think about that while you were raising me? Lying to me every day about everything, right down to my real name."

He pursed his lips, contemplative. And he was quiet for a long sixty seconds. And when he spoke, he spoke slowly and thoughtfully. "The connection was instant, the moment we saw you. When Gretchen came to me to tell me that she had found our daughter, I thought she was crazy. But I humored her. And then I saw you. And you came to me in that park. Came to us. You held your hand out for me to take. All on your own. You wanted to be with us. So, we made it happen."

A bitter smile swept upon her lips as she stared into his dark void eyes, "It's funny. I had the visitation application since January. All filled out. But it took me a while to submit it. And then everything happened with Kieran and I decided that we all needed to move on from all the horrible things that had happened to us. And for me – that included you. So, I arranged this. To get my answers once and for all. And now I'm looking at you and I'm not sure I want to know anymore and open up a whole new can of worms to try and clean up."

"Athena," he breathed her name with affection, "you can ask me anything you want, and I won't ever lie to you. But you have to understand that they record our conversations here. This is a maximum-security prison."

Sifting through the haze of questions, she landed on one that would serve everyone to know the truth about. "Did you know Piper Shaw?"

He pursed his lips thoughtfully, "I believe that she interviewed me last year. I got many requests, but I was struck with her letter particularly. She sounded the most sympathetic without seeming delusional."

Athena scoffed. "We found out that along with the psych teacher, Kristen Lang, that kept trying to pry into my psyche and incriminate me for Kieran's murder spree, _you_ were at Blessed Sisters at the same time as Piper Shaw. Are you seriously going to try and convince me that it's just a coincidence? That the man who kidnapped me from his wife's hometown, happened to live there in the same orphanage as the women who came to Lakewood to go on a killing spree?"

"I was only at Blessed Sisters for all of three months when I was a child, Athena," he answered in such a careful yet carefree tone that she believed he was presenting the truth to lie. To lie to her face. "And I was much older than Piper Shaw. I was almost aged out. I moved around so much in the system, met and left so many other people. You can't expect me to remember them all."

She sighed, "I get it. They record these conversations and if you admit that you remember and possibly was in contact with a serial killer, it implicates you in worse crimes than kidnapping."

"Athena," he whispered, "you know me better than to think I am a killer. I am your father."

She harshly shook her head at him, "No, you're not. You're not legally, or by blood, or by heart. You're a criminal."

"I know, and I own up to that," he admitted. "But I am still your father. I am still the man who raised you, taught you how to skate, how to drive, comforted you when you hurt yourself, put a roof over your head and cooked you baklava to celebrate every good grade, trophy, award or certificate. That is who I am, no matter where we are now."

"It doesn't matter that you did all of that," she told him. "Because you'll always have committed the crime first. Before all of that. And it will have always tainted every happy memory."

If she hadn't been paying attention, she would have missed how his face hardened. Even after he masked it with calm the next second. "That can't be all you came here for."

She schooled her own features carefully. She had learned from him after all.

"Go ahead. Ask me anything," he tried to encourage her.

She sighed, only one more question floating to her lips, "Did you really love me?"

This time, she knew the emotion crossing his face was sincere. "Oh, Athena, yes. You may be hurt and confused about our family, but to me that is what we are and always were. You are my daughter. I love you. I would slit my throat if it meant you were safe. You have no idea what I went through in here while you were in Lakewood, knowing I couldn't be there to protect you while people were getting killed left and right. My heart was in my throat when the press reported that you were shot and in the ICU for days. I was terrified that you wouldn't wake up, and you would die in that hospital bed. I would have burned the whole world down to save you. I prayed every single day that God would spare you. And when I heard you recovered; it was the best day of my life short of the day our family was finally whole. And that is the absolute truth. Other than your mother, you are the most important person in my life."

She had been holding her breath for most of the end of his speech and hadn't realized until she let it out once he paused.

He leaned closer, pressing his fingers to the glass, "We loved with a love that was more than love."

Athena leaned on her elbows on the table, holding the phone to her ear limper, "You always used to say that about you and mo—Gretchen."

He didn't comment on her slip, "It always applies to your mother and me. But I think it applies to all of us. The bond of parent and child is deeper than any love in the world. And there isn't anything a parent wouldn't endure for their child. That is what I felt and feel for you as my daughter regardless of blood or the law."

She didn't know what part of what he was saying overwhelmed her so much. But all of the sudden all the emotions on the spectrum washed over her at once and the tears started falling from her eyes. She could see the watery image of the man that was once her father seeming concerned. But all she could do was say with a crack in her voice, "I can't do this," and hang up the phone and march away from him and out of the room.

She didn't hear him calling her name through the soundproof glass as she walked away from him. And she didn't see the utterly heartbroken look on his face as he stared listlessly through the glass at her empty chair.

Will was quick to his feet when Athena burst through the doors and out of the building, following her with Dido on his heels, "Athena?"

She didn't stop until she practically ran into the back of Dido's car and burst into sobs, crouching down on the ground. The world felt like it was closing in on her. Tunnel vision. All the sounds clouded and far away. Lungs growing tighter as she tried to breathe.

She was startled when she felt Will's arms around her, but instantly relaxed and felt safe now that he was there with her. His voice became clearer and clearer as he spoke to her, "Athena? Breathe, baby, you're okay. Just focus on breathing. Slowly. Deep breaths."

They had found a rhythm in recent times. Although her panic attacks were further and farther from the last, they still happened occasionally. And when they did, Will – if he was with her – would take her in his arms and guide her breathing with his.

He put her hand on his chest and slowed down his breaths, breathing deeper and deeper with each one and guiding her to match him. Soon enough, she was breathing steady with him. And then steadily breathing on her own. Sagging, she laid her head on his shoulder, letting out a sigh.

He wiped at her tears and asked, "What happened in there? Did he say something?"

"Well of course he said _something,_ " Dido cut in.

Will gave her a withering glare, "I'm asking Athena." He turned back to her and pulled her head up to face him, "What was it?"

Mouth dry, she licked at her lips and tried to produce enough spit to speak. But her voice still came out raspy and tear-filled when she told him, "He said he loves me. That he really does love me as his daughter. That that part of it wasn't a lie. And I believe him."

She supposed somehow Will understood why that part of her conversation with Alonzo Contos was what set her off. Because he didn't question her or ask her anything else. He just hugged her to him and stroked her hair until it seemed she was calm enough to get back into the car and head back to Portland. And she slept the trip off in the backseat, head in Will's lap.

The sun was still up, and the rest of the day was still ahead of them when Dido pulled up to her house. She assured them that her single father wasn't going to be home until late, so they'd have privacy. If Athena didn't feel like seeing more people while she was still raw from seeing her not-father. Dido immediately set Athena up on the couch in the living room with DVDs of Family Guy to amuse her and Will while she disappeared into the kitchen to make something for lunch.

Will was quiet, waited for her to speak first.

"He wasn't supposed to look the same," she whispered. "He wasn't supposed to look just like how I remembered him. When I thought he was my father."

"And then he tells you that he loves you as your father, and you believe he was being sincere," Will filled in the rest for her. "You wanted him to look and be the monster that matches what he did."

Tearfully, she nodded. "I didn't want him to be the same man I remembered as my father. Because he isn't. Neither is Gretchen my mother. But they look the same. And somehow in their warped minds, they really did love me as their daughter. I just can't combine the two together. My parents, and these criminals. It's too hard."

"I'm sorry," was all Will could say. He couldn't say he understood. He couldn't say he knew. But he could tell he was sorry for what these people had put her through. "But you've done it. Maybe you didn't get everything you wanted out of it. But at least you got it over with."

"I just want to go back home now," she said.

"Just one night and by lunch tomorrow we'll be getting stuffed with food by Diana," he tried to cheer her up.

And the quip about Diana did make her smile. "I don't think it's just him. Kieran's trial is coming up. And I just keep thinking..."

She trailed off, staring ahead. And Will brought her into his side and asked, "Thinking... what?"

"Thinking that maybe it's still not over," she told him her worst fears. "What if there's more? What if there's something else? I mean, we thought Piper was working alone at first. And then the killings started again. What if Kieran wasn't alone either, had a friend or protege or something? What if we never escape?"

Before she could work herself into another panic attack, Will hugged her close and assured her, "That's not going to happen. If Kieran had someone else working with him, we'd know by now. He would have rubbed that in our faces when he thought he won. It's over. Piper is dead, and Kieran is in jail."

"Here, here," Dido cheered as she walked into the room with a cooling tray of chicken nuggets. They all tucked into the food and made small talk to distract Athena from her ordeal. She didn't want to think about it anymore. So, she tore her attention between catching up with Dido, eating her food, and ignoring the thoughts of Alonzo nagging at the back of her mind.

The rest of day passed by in a blur. Dido tried to encourage Athena to come out to the city with her to meet up with some old friends, but she was decidedly in favor of staying in. She just felt like she couldn't focus on anything else yet. She was too shaken up by her encounter with her 'father.'

Dido understood and went out alone, saying she'd pass along her love to the others. She and Will broke into Dido's freezer and raided it for ice cream while using her Netflix account to watch old sitcoms before finally falling asleep in each other's arms on the pull-out couch.

* * *

"Are you sure you can't just skip school or something? Stay longer?"

Athena laughed at Dido's question as she drove her and Will to the airport the next day, "No, this is senior year. It's more important than ever to impress. For college."

Dido scoffed, "Like I don't know that schools are vying for the Lakewood survivor and heroes to come to them to boost their notoriety."

"Regardless, we can't just skip," Athena said.

Dido pouted as she pulled up to the drop-off, "I'll miss you. Again."

"I'll miss you too," Athena promised with a quick hug before she and will were on their plane and back off to Lakewood.


	2. Murder Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kieran Wilcox's murder in the courthouse just helps pile on the onslaught of reporters, making Halloween worse than it was already going to be. the survivors just want to get away. The opportunity to do so comes along when Noah and Stavo's publisher offers to take them to an Island for the weekend on a business trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sex!

“How was it?” was the first thing Audrey asked when she picked Will and Athena up.

“It was,” was all Athena said.

Awkwardly, Will moved on conversation, “So, how's Gina?”

Audrey took the cue to talk about something else, “She's great. A bit overworked, being the manager at the theater and all, but it's all good. We're thinking of doing a creature feature next weekend for Halloween, instead of, you know...”

“We were probably going to stay in too,” Will said quickly, understanding what she meant. This Halloween would be the one-year mark of Piper Shaw's death. “Can't say I'll be in the mood for scary movies though. But Athena won't watch bad action films. So, we'll compromise and watch goofy comedies with white chocolate popcorn.”

Audrey made a face, “Ugh! Who could eat that?”

Athena finally chimed in from the backseat, “Hey! I like it!”

After a moment of silence, all three of them shared a laugh. 

* * *

By Monday morning, it felt like life in Lakewood reset itself for Athena. She could leave Alonzo Contos in the past now. She could think of him as her father, and as a criminal. She could love him and hate what he did. It wasn't the same with Gretchen. She was still floating out there, unresolved. But Athena was resolved to forget about her until she popped up again.

She was wandering down the stairs and into the kitchen when she heard Lana's voice call out, “Athena? That you?”

“Yeah,” she called back, grabbing a banana before going to search the fridge for some yogurt.

“You need to see this!”

Athena rolled her eyes but complied, dropping her school bag by the door before waltzing into the living room and asking, “What?”

“Someone killed Kieran Wilcox,” Lana said with trepidation.

Athena stared at the television screen, frozen, as Kieran's picture in his orange jumpsuit was displayed above the newscaster.

“ _Kieran Wilcox, teenaged serial killer, who terrorized Lakewood teens, was murdered while in custody in the courthouse after just being sentenced to ten consecutive life sentences. Sources say a masked assailant broke the security guard's neck, who was watching Wilcox, and then slit the inmate's throat, before fleeing the scene. One eyewitness caught a glimpse, and claimed the killer was dressed just like Wilcox and his deceased partner, Piper Shaw, dressed when they committed their heinous crimes._ ”

“Oh my god,” Athena whispered.

Lana looked at her sister with concern, “Are you okay? I mean, I know he deserved--”

“No, he deserved to rot,” Athena hissed. “He terrorized us, buried Will alive, stabbed _and_ shot me. He deserved to sit in a cell for the rest of his life lamenting that we beat him. Whoever killed him robbed us of real justice. And...”

“And if they were dressed like Kieran and Piper... what if...” Lana trailed off, fearful.

Athena nodded, “What if they turn out to be just like them?” She paused before flying into action, “Oh god, I have to check on Emma. We might be late to school today.”

“That's okay!” Lana said. “Dad's getting me and Michelle for breakfast.”

Athena smiled briefly at the mention of her sister's new _girlfriend,_ but it was wiped off her face as she left the house. As she walked/ran to Emma's next door, Brooke pulled up. She stopped at the door for the blonde to catch up with her. “Did you hear?”

Flustered, Brooke nodded and rapped her knuckles against the door, “Yes! Can you believe it?”

“It feels more surreal than our friends' murders,” Athena admitted before Emma finally answered the door, seeming wholly unperturbed.

“Hi guys,” she greeted them as she walked back into the house and grabbed her bag.

“Hey, Em,” Brooke replied nervously. “How are you, um... How are you doing? I came as soon as I heard.”

“Me too,” Athena agreed.

Emma frowned, “Wait, heard what?” as her mother wandered over, seeming just as confused.

Athena and Brooke shared a look before the former asked, “You haven't seen the news today?”

Maggie and Emma shook their heads.

Brooke sighed, “Somebody killed Kieran in the courthouse. It's all over the news.”

Emma gaped a little at them as the information sunk in. “Do they know who did it?”

Brooke shook her head, “That's what they're trying to figure out. Apparently, a guard was murdered too.”

Athena decided not to mention how a witness saw the assailant dressed as Brandon James. That would hit too close to home for the Duvall girls.

“How did he die?” Emma asked quietly, still not letting on just how she felt about it all.

“They slit his throat,” Athena answered.

“Wow,” Emma commented blankly. She gave a small laugh, “He got off easy.”

Brooke and Athena watched as Emma gathered her things for school like nothing was wrong. They'd have to watch out for her, and each other. And of course, they had the chance once they got to school.

* * *

At the Grindhouse, Noah nervously wrung his hands together. He couldn't believe that Kieran had been killed by someone dressed as Brandon James. He also couldn't believe that Stavo and their publisher, Jeremy, weren't thrown for the same loop as Jeremy congratulated them on the overnight success of their comic novel about the murders.

“Four months in, and I'm already taking pre-orders on the third printing. You guys are officially best-selling authors, and you officially owe me a second book,” Jeremy told them, his dark hair slicked back in true businessman fashion.

“Maybe someone queued that up for us,” Noah piped up from his spot on the couch. “Uh, book two... Kieran Wilcox's murder.”

“Pass,” Jeremy said immediately without a care. He tapped his fingers on the cover of the book with Stavo's artistic rendition of Kieran's masked face. “Fans dig Kieran the killer, not Kieran the victim.”

“Got it,” the writer mumbled. “Okay. Um, well, we've actually been circling around a lot of really good...”

“Cut the BS,” Jeremy cut him off. “You got nothing. Stavo told me.”

Noah gave Stavo a 'what the hell?' look and the artist shrugged, “I'm sorry, man. Your writer's block is killing me.”

Noah gaped, “My writer's block is my own sleepless hell. It's private.”

“Not when it can tank my label,” Jeremy decided. “I've invested everything I have into our deal.”

Noah turned his gaping mouth to the publisher, “Why in the world would you do that?”

“Because you are one of the best writers I've ever worked with,” Jeremy grinned. “Noah, I can't wait to see what you do with the legend of Anna Hobbs.”

Noah's mouth went slack then, “The Anna Hobbs story? No. That is hokey, campfire fodder, _barely_ based on facts.” He shook his head. “I'm sorry, no. Pass.”

This time, Gustavo stared in disbelief, “Are... are you kidding me?” Noah ignored his questions as he gathered his bag to leave for school. Stavo stood in his way, “Noah... Noah, hey, where you going?”

“Um, to school,” Noah said like it was obvious.

But Stavo stopped him with a hand on his arm, “Come on. Let me break it down for you. The facts are awesome. Anna's parents worked as caretakers on Shallow Grove Island back in the 1930s, and they're working for some wealthy, rum-running family called the Whittens. Halloween night, she goes bat-shit crazy, strips completely naked, kills her parents, and then slaughters the Whittens in their sleep.”

Noah turned on him, floored at his excitement, “You're researching already?”

Stavo frowned, “I don't have college next year. This is it for me.”

Noah felt incrementally bad for Stavo but didn't have a chance to respond before Jeremy chimed in again, “Listen, this story's got sex. It's got blood, and it's based on true events. The forums on my label's website are blowing up right now over the cops finding new evidence. Readers are dying for this story to be told.”

Noah chuckled nervously, “I don't know.” He didn't know how to deny them. “Why did Anna Hobbs snap? It's not even scary unless we know the method behind her madness.”

“Look, Jeremy and I agree,” Gustavo told him. He could take it or leave it. “This is what we're going with.”

“We're gonna find out the truth for ourselves, on her island, and I'm footing the bill,” Jeremy declared, clapping a hand on both of their shoulders. “Congrats, gentlemen. We're about to take our first trip together as business partners.”

* * *

Athena was beyond angry at the flock of reporters and camera men swarming the High School when she arrived with Emma and Brooke. They shoved their lenses and microphones in their faces, demanding for their questions to be answered.

“Any comment on Kieran Wilcox's murder?”

“Brooke, how do you feel about your father's murderer getting butchered?”

“Hey, back off,” Emma snapped at them. “What is wrong with you?”

“Athena, do you regret not killing Kieran Wilcox yourself?”

Athena felt her blood beginning to boil and she paused in her step long enough to stick her foot out and trip up one of the camera men. He stumbled with a yelp and fell to his knees, dropping his camera with a loud clatter and smash.

Athena feigned shock and concern as she exclaimed, “Oh no! Well, what can you do?”

Taking the slight shock that ran through the crowd of 'journalists', Athena pushed Emma and Brooke through the doors and into the room. Brooke was giggling into her hand, “That was iconic!”

They quickly met up with Audrey, Noah, Gustavo, and Will. Brooke and Athena went to their men with pecks and quiet 'checking in' before Noah chimed in with, “Just another day in Murderville.”

“Eight months of quiet, and now this,” Audrey commented. “I mean, if Halloween wasn't bad enough around here already, Kieran had to go and get himself murdered!”

Everyone gave Audrey a look at her words, looking at Emma to see how she was. Emma put on a smile, “Guys, I don't care about Kieran alive or dead.” But she wasn't totally okay as she carried on walking to class, “It's this... it's the press. It's Halloween. I really want out of Lakewood.”

“Me too,” Athena grumbled, tightening her interlaced fingers in Will's. He gave her a kiss on her temple.

“Uh, funny you should mention that,” Noah spoke up. “Our editor Jeremy is dragging us to Shallow Grove Island for research, which I'm sure is gonna be a colossal waste of time.”

Stavo clapped a hand on his shoulder, his other arm wrapped around Brooke's waist, “Or inspiring. He's renting us a mansion, paying for all of our expenses, plus it's the off-season, so we'll basically have the island to ourselves. Do I have any takers?”

“Yes!” Emma eagerly agreed, turning back to the group with a lively smile. “Yes, I am so down.”

“That's one,” Stavo grinned. He turned to Athena, “What about you, sis?”

“Um,” Athena shared a look with Will, both asking and wanting him to say he wanted to go. She could use a break.

Will smiled and threw his arm around her shoulders, “We're in.”

“Perfect,” Stavo smiled before turning to Audrey as Noah and Emma walked off to class. “Audrey?”

“Yeah?”

“You and Gina want to come too?”

Audrey smiled at the mention of her new girlfriend, “Definitely. I mean, I'll ask her after school, but yeah, I'm in.”

“Perfect.”

“Nice.”

“Are you sure you're okay with going?” Athena checked with Will as they stopped at his locker.

He smiled at her, “Of course! A whole island to ourselves, won't have to dodge reporters just trying to buy Halloween candy? Sounds perfect.”

“Yeah...” she trailed off. It did _sound_ fun. It _sounded_ like a perfect weekend getaway.

“Hey, what is it?” Will asked, catching onto the turn in her mood.

“Nothing,” she tried to convince him, tugging on his hand to get them on their way to class.

“I know it's not nothing,” he told her, tugging firmly on her hand so she stopped walking anywhere. “Is this about what we talked about after seeing _him_? You don't feel like it's over still.”

“Do _you_?” Athena asked him. “Honestly, do you? Because I don't know if I ever will. It'll always be possible that there is another psycho out there, whether they were working with Kieran or not. Even before this new killer taking Kieran out and all of that mess, I felt like there could be someone else out there. We don't know everything; the picture isn't complete yet.”

“What does it matter now?” Will asked her. “What could we do about it right here and now? Piper and Kieran are dead. We don't know that whoever killed Kieran was a jilted partner. It could have been someone who hated Kieran and wanted him dead. There's no shortage of enemies for that guy. But what happened to us – it's over.”

“Does it really feel over for you?” Athena asked him, her voice a whisper now. “I am reminded of it all every time I look in the mirror without a shirt. Every time I see the scars. I know you've covered the one on your back now with the tattoo, but I just keep seeing all our friends dying, and hearing that gunshot every time I see mine.”

“Listen to me,” Will said, cupping her face in his hand, “what have I always said? No matter what, we survive. If, somehow, there's more to come, we'll survive it then too. But there's no use worrying over what _could_ happen right now. We still have lives to live. So, let's party it up on an isolated island. No cameras, no parents, maybe even clothing optional.”

Athena couldn't help but chuckle at his crude humor and accept his descending lips on hers. “We'll see about that clothing optional thing. It may be an island, but it's still _October._ ”

Will laughed loudly enough to garner stares as they finally made their way to class. 

* * *

The teens were all a bit squished in the helicopter on the way to the island. Brooke and Athena had to sit on Stavo and Will's laps in the back while Noah, Audrey, and Emma sat in the middle, taking pictures of everyone and every good-looking scene out the window. Emma caught sight of a large white house, impressive looking, “Whoa, is that our mansion?”

Jeremy bent his head back to look and answered her, “Nope. That's the Whitten mansion, where Anna Hobbs committed her heinous murders.”

The teens froze, and Brooke asked, “I'm sorry, heinous murders?”

Jeremy was smiling casually but frowned a little at the looks on their faces, “Yeah, that's why we're here. What? Noah and Stavo didn't tell you guys?”

“That we're sharing the island with a murder house?” Brooke turned an accusing glare back to her boyfriend. “No, they did not.”

Stavo tried not to look guilty. “Every town has one. Lakewood has, like, ten.”

“You mean 11,” Noah said, trying to give them all an innocent look.

“And that's exactly why we didn't want to be in Lakewood on Halloween,” Emma pressed, giving Noah a look.

“Prepare for landing,” the pilot announced. “Welcome to Murder Island, folks.”

He soon put the helicopter down on the dock and the teens started getting off and heading up to their own mansion. Noah gave Emma a hand with her bag.

“Thank you, Noah.”

“You're welcome,” he said as they started walking up the dock. He spoke to her nervously, trying to make up for the whole situation, “Hey, just so you know, I didn't really want to come here either.”

Emma shrugged, “Well, you know, ten fewer murder houses in Lakewood. What could go wrong?”

As Athena and Will got off behind Brooke and Stavo, Athena reached up to smack her brother up the back of his head.

“Ow!” he yelped, glaring at her as he rubbed his skull. “What was that for?”

“Oh, you know what that's for,” Athena scowled at him lightly as the couples walked up to the mansion.

It was a nice place, all made of a good medium-brown wood. There was a long dining table and some couches right when they got inside. Athena could see a kitchen down to her left, and stairs immediately to their right, with a door just under them.

Brooke looked around, unimpressed, “I thought you said this was gonna be a mansion. I know my mansions; this is really more of a bungalow.”

“Well, the rental agency called it a mansion, so...” Jeremy said, like 'what were they going to do?'

“I wouldn't call this a bungalow,” Will said, wrapping his arms around Athena's waist from behind her. “It's still twice the size of my house.”

“This is really cool,” Emma grinned.

“Smells like damp sheets,” Brooke sniffed.

“At least we're not next door to the murder house,” Audrey pointed out.

“That's a strong plus,” Athena agreed.

Audrey turned to the boys, “Does anybody still live there, by the way?”

“Some heir named Alex Whitten,” Stavo answered. “He lives completely off the grid, which is cool, but it doesn't help with our research.”

Brooke just smirked and grabbed his hand, tugging him towards the stairs, “Come on, Stavo. Let's go find your bedroom.”

“All right, team,” Jeremy chimed in. “There's one there, one upstairs. I'm gonna take the master.”

“Dibs on the downstairs,” Athena said with a grin as she began tugging Will towards the door underneath the stairs.

Emma was smiling at Noah, “Upstairs?” as they began their ascent. “Yeah?” He nodded along, glad to be forgiven, and followed her.

“Have fun!” Jeremy called after them.

Athena smiled widely as she closed the door to her room with Will, “Okay... this place seems really nice.”

“Told you so,” he grinned, dumping their bags on the ground.

She rolled her eyes at him and picked up her bag to start unpacking it into the modest dresser with a large mirror on top of it.

“What are you doing?” Will asked her slowly.

“Unpacking,” she answered him just as slowly.

She gave a little squeal when his arms suddenly closed around her waist and yanked her back with him onto the kind sized bed. He peppered kisses on her face and neck as he spoke lightly, “Firstly, we're only here for the weekend so there's no point of putting everything out in the dresser and closet when we're just going to pack it all over again in a day and a half. Secondly, aren't there better things to do first when we land on our own little island?”

“Better things like what?” she asked smartly.

He gave her a grin as he stood and pulled her by her thighs to the edge of the bed, spreading them as he knelt in front of her. “Mmmm, I love it when you wear dresses,” he said as he skimmed his hand under the skirt of her light blue sundress and hooked his fingers into her panties before sliding them down and off of her legs.

Athena gasped under her breath as he leaned up to brush his lips against her neck, up to her ear before slightly sucking on the lobe. She reached up to rake her fingers through his hair and wrap her knees around his hips, tugging him closer. He chuckled as he pulled away and pulled her knees off him to spread them widely on the bed. He knelt again to start kissing up her thighs, closer to her center. When he reached his destination, she shuddered and moaned at the one long swipe up her nether lips from his tongue, “...Will!”

He murmured into her, “Better things like this,” as he carried on pleasuring just the way he'd learned how to over the course of their relationship.

Athena was groaning, flushed, just to her peak, when he abruptly pulled away. She cursed and complained, “What the Hell?”

But he was still grinning, and the next second two of his fingers were inside of her and curling on just the right spot.

She cursed again, “Fuck!” but this time, in pleasure instead of frustration. He moved quickly and deftly and soon she was coming undone around his digits with another cry of his name. “Will! I need you – right now.”

“Thank god for implants,” he muttered as he shed himself of his pants and wrapped her legs around his hips, still standing, before he smoothly slid inside of her.

With a grunt, she dug her heels into his back and reached up with her arms to pull him all the way on top of her. Their lips fused together as their hips started thrusting into each other. He turned his lips to her neck and chest while she ran the tips of her fingernails along the back of his still-clothed shoulders, starting the dig in the closer she got. “Ugh... I love you...”

“I love you...” he grunted back as he sucked on the juncture of her neck and shoulder.

Suddenly, there was a knock on their door, and Emma's voice, “Hey, Athena? Audrey and I were gonna walk over to the store to get some food for the weekend. You wanna come?”

Athena whispered harshly into Will's ear as their movements stopped, “Damn straight, I wanna come.” Ignoring Will's chuckle, she called to the door, “Uh, no, that's okay. Will and I are just gonna rel-AX!” her voice pitched on the last syllable as Will gave a sharp thrust inside of her. She cursed the shit-eating grin on his face at that moment. “You guys get whatever you want. We all like the same stuff.”

There was a pause on the other side of the door, which Will took to mean they were in the clear, as he started moving fluidly again, pressing his thumb on the button above their joined parts, earning a sharp gasp from her.

“Are you sure?” Audrey's voice sounded through the door.

“Shit!” Athena hissed under her breath; she was so close. “Yeah, I'm sure! You guys have fun!”

“Okay!”

Once they heard footsteps, Will grinned, “Finally!” and started moving at rapid speed, moving his thumb over her just the way she liked, until her whole body seized up as pleasure washed over her in a dead heat. While she let out a breathy series of moans as she reached her peak, he let out one long low one as he followed after her.

With a small smile, he brushed the hair out of her eyes, “Now that's how you start a vacation.”

Athena chuckled breathlessly, before pushing him out of her a turning over onto her stomach. “How about round two?” she asked as she pulled her dress up to her stomach.

“I love you so much,” he grinned as he followed her lead. 

* * *

Emma had quickly unpacked what she would need immediate access to before Audrey popped upstairs to ask if she wanted to walk over to the store Jeremy said was close by.

“Sure!” she said. “Let's grab Athena on the way.”

They skipped downstairs and Emma stopped at Athena and Will's door to knock. “Hey, Athena? Audrey and I were gonna walk over to the store to get some food for the weekend. You wanna come?”

There was something whispered on the other side of the door before Athena answered them without opening it. “Uh, no, that's okay. Will and I are just gonna rel-AX!” Emma and Audrey shared a wide-eyed look as Athena's voice pitched at the end before she spoke again. “You guys get whatever you want. We all like the same stuff.”

Emma smothered her giggles in her hand as she asked Audrey quietly, “Are they...?”

Audrey slowly nodded with a smirk, “I think so.”

“Wow, they cannot keep their hands off of each other,” Emma said with a dubious smile.

“They're a match made in horny heaven,” Audrey commented before putting a finger over her lips in the 'shh' motion. She leaned her head closer to the door and they could hear movement and small pleasure noises. And then she said, with a wide grin, “Are you sure?”

The girls giggled when they heard Athena say, “Shit!” just loud enough for them to hear. “Yeah, I'm sure! You guys have fun!”

“Okay!” Audrey called before she and Emma finally left them to their own devices. As they left the 'mansion' she thought to ask Emma, “You sure you're totally okay with that whole situation? I mean, seeing it for yourself for almost a year.”

Emma nodded, “Yeah, totally. I mean, I loved Will but that seems so long ago now. And Athena deserves the best. We've all seen proof of how much they care about each other with everything they've been put through.”

“I agree, just checking,” Audrey said as they walked along the coast towards where Jeremy said the general store would be. “Getting out of Lakewood... Best idea ever. Right up there with Kieran getting wiped off the face of the planet. That's what we should have told those reporters.” She paused, once again to check in on how Emma was feeling. “How are you doing with Kieran and it all?”

“I'm fine, I just... I...” Emma stammered a bit with a rueful smile. “Can we not talk about Kieran?”

“Not him. We're talking about you,” Audrey told her.

“Yeah. I know. I'm just sick of being Emma Duval, girlfriend of the killer,” Emma lamented.

Audrey bumped their shoulders, “Emma Duval, girlfriend of the killer isn't here. Emma is.” They paused in front of the store and Audrey saw Emma grinning at the neon red sign that said 'TATTOO'. “And Emma wants coffee.”

Emma smirked, “I think I want a tattoo.”


	3. The Legend of Anna Hobbs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At a late night BBQ and bonfire, the group is regaled with the island legend of Anna Hobbs from a local.

After round three, Will and Athena showered off and wandered into the house, finding Brooke in the kitchen, looking glum. "Why the long face?"

"I don't want to rant about my boyfriend problems with your perfect man in the room," Brooke muttered.

Will raised his hands up in surrender, "I guess I'll go find the guys then."

"They went to that historical center about Anna Hobbs," Brooke waved him out without a care.

Once Will left, Athena turned to her friend, "What did my brother do?"

"It's not what _he_ did," Brooke murmured just as Emma and Audrey returned with a brown paper bag of junk food. They smiled; unaware they were interrupting.

Emma and Audrey grinned at Athena first, "Surprised Will let you up for air."

Athena rolled her eyes with a deep blush, "Even athletes get tired."

"We were thinking of chilling down by the dock," Emma said. "There's a nice hut down from the house by the water. It might even be nice enough to swim."

"Sounds like fun," Athena smiled. "I'll go change."

"Me too," Emma said as they left.

In less than fifteen minutes, the girls were sitting together in the open wood hut and laughing together with virgin Mai tais in their hands. "Oh, this was such a good idea. I'm so glad that we came here," Emma said.

"I know. It's delightful," Brooke said, her eyes turning to Audrey and Athena sitting across from them. Athena was reclined and relaxed, but Audrey's nose was attached to her phone. Athena shared a look with Brooke and gave Audrey a slight kick in the thigh as Brooke cooed, "Audrey, less text-y, more friend time."

Audrey blushed and put her phone away, "You're right. I'm sorry. Gina hasn't answered any of my calls or any of my texts, and she always texts me back."

"Relax. Gina's obsessed with you," Brooke drawled.

"And isn't she working, like, every shift at the movie theater this weekend?" Emma pointed out. "I mean, she's busy."

Audrey screwed her lips up, "Or, you know, she's just figuring out she has more fun without me."

Brooke giggled at her, "You're so new to this relationship thing. Trust me. Distance makes the heart grow fonder," she paused to frown, "at least I hope so. I kind of just told Stavo to think twice about moving to New York with me."

"That's what happened earlier?" Athena questioned. Brooke cringed and nodded. "Brooke!"

"I'm new to relationships, but why would you say that?" Audrey asked.

Brooke tried to make it out like not big deal, guffawing, "I can't be responsible for Stavo moving across the country for me. I'm barely responsible for myself."

"You make it sound like he's a child you're gonna have to babysit," Audrey said.

"And what am I, a mannequin?" Athena asked. "Will and I are leaning towards going to New York too, remember? So, he'd go not just for you but for his long-lost half-sister. And he loves you, and you belong together. He just wants you to tell him that you want him with you. He's not going to _invite_ himself if he feels like you don't have faith in the relationship post-High School."

"She's right," Emma agreed, giving her friend a look.

Brooke turned to her with a wide grin, "What about you, Em? Audrey says you, uh, met a cookie thief who wants you to seize his day."

Emma laughed as the girls started teasing her, "Oh, that is not what he said."

Audrey pointed out, "It looked like you were into him, and he was definitely into you."

"I know his first name. He knows my first name. That's really it, so..." Emma trailed off, blushing.

"Well, hook-ups don't require last names," Brooke winked.

"Okay, yes, that is definitely true," Emma greed, "and actually, I would rather be Emma these days than Emma Duval anyways. Duval has been carrying around a lot of baggage, I would say."

"I think that would be true about any of our names at this point," Athena chimed in. "Duvall, Maddox, Tyler, Contos, whatever other last names I've picked up over the last year..."

Brooke nodded, looking somber but still playful, "We've all been through a lot, but you know, I think there's a fine line between caution and self-sabotage." She gestured to, "Audrey, I don't think Gina's building a wall. I think you are." Then grinned at Emma, "And Em, I think you need to let your wall down." She then pursed her lips at Athena, "You finally have your shit together if what I heard on my way to the kitchen is any indication!"

Athena blushed as the girls turned to teasing her for a moment before Audrey caught sight of the boy from the general store, "Well, speaking of cookie thieves..." She let out a loud whistle and shouted for his attention, "Hey!"

The boy that Athena would describe as rugged in his brown leather jacket, paused on his way to a boat in front of them and waved. Emma waved back, and Brooke started pushing her towards the stairs of their hut leading out to the dock, "Go!"

"Scram," Audrey added as she stood to sit with Brooke. "Go!"

Athena leaned forward with them to listen in on their conversation.

"I'm not stalking you. I promise."

"I don't have your pastries. I swear," he responded.

"She better not blow this," Athena mock whispered to Brooke and Audrey. "She needs some... tension relief."

"You're certainly not lacking," Brooke whispered back as the girls giggled.

"...Just a pail of bait fish. I'm about to go out for some snapper. Kind of my ritual."

"Nice. Do you live on the island?" Emma asked.

"Only in the off-season. How about you?"

"I'm just visiting. My friends are here doing some research, and I decided to tag along."

"Research?"

"Don't mention the murder house while flirting," Athena cringed in preparation for what they were about to hear.

"Yes. Uh, something about a girl murdering everyone in a mansion. I don't know. You know anything about that?"

"No!" Audrey laughed into Brooke's shoulder. "She's gonna blow it."

The girls all collectively cringed when they heard him say, "Unfortunately, that's my house."

"Wow. Alex Whitten."

"Yup, but you can just call me Alex."

"Wait, isn't he loaded?" Brooke asked.

Audrey just shrugged.

"Yeah, yeah. Cool."

"So, I'm gonna go catch my lunch for the week."

"Good luck," Emma said as she started to walk off.

"Don't leave him yet," Athena goaded to herself.

"You know, if you want, I'll be grilling here tomorrow at the boat. You can come by if you want," Alex offered.

"Yeah. Yeah, sure. Sounds like fun."

The girls finally let their giggles be known as they all waved Alex off with big smiles, "Bye!"

Emma sighed and chided at them for embarrassing her before the girls went back to the house. The whole group of them decided to grill up and have a nice night by the fire behind their house, and they wanted to get ready in warmer clothes the later it got in the day.

When Athena got back to her room, Will was already there, throwing on jeans. "Hey, you."

He smiled at her, "Hey, did you have a good time with the girls?"

"Yeah, except Audrey is obsessed with her girlfriend who hasn't texted her back and Brooke is pushing Stavo off the plan of moving out to New York with her because she's a scaredy cat," Athena chuckled as she stripped her shirt off and went to grab a maxi dress to wear. "But our little Emma got herself a lunch date with the Whitten heir for tomorrow afternoon. Apparently, she and Audrey ran into him while they were at the store, and he was vibing on her, then we saw him on his way to a boat to catch snapper and he asked her out."

Will shrugged, a bit distracted as Athena pulled off her bikini top, "Good for her. She deserves some fun." He stalked up to her and decided to 'help' her change by unbuttoning her shorts and starting to push them down.

She laughed at him, "What do you think you're doing?"

"What? I'm just helping you," he said innocently.

She kicked off her shorts and eyed the bulge in his still-unzipped jeans. "Sure, you are. We do have to get ready for tonight."

"Hmm," he hummed, "you're right." And she thought that was the end of it, but then his fingers dug themselves into the back of her panties and dove inside of her, dragging out a harsh gasp from her lips. "But we still have time."

"Mmm, _yes_."

* * *

They were the last ones to get to the bonfire. Stavo and Noah had already set up the grill, and the others had already set up coolers for the drinks as the sun was starting to set. Their friends hid their grins and smirks for the most part. But Audrey couldn't help but call out, "Don't you guys get tired?" as they approached.

Athena blushed as she clutched Will's hand and pulled up the hem of her dress to avoid dragging it along the dirty sand.

"Can we not bring up my sister's sex life?" Stavo groaned, putting his beer on the rickety wooden picnic table before clapping a hand on Will's shoulder. "Help me get some firewood?"

"Sure thing," Will agreed, walking off.

Seeing the looks on the girl's face, Noah quickly stood and said, "I'll come with you guys!" and followed after them.

As soon as the boys were out of ear shot, Brooke cried, "Okay, you guys are seriously insatiable!"

Athena just shrugged, "What? We're on vacation. No parents, no Lakewood Halloween. We can just relax."

"Don't you mean re-LAX!?" Audrey taunted her, mimicking her earlier sudden pitch in voice when she and Emma had gone to their room door while the couple was 'busy.'

Athena's cheeks turned scarlet as the other girls laugh, "What can I say? I've taught him well."

The girls all laughed together as the boys returned with firewood and started to get a bonfire going as it got darker. Will and Stavo grilled burgers for everyone while Noah told the girls about their day at the historical center. The group moved fluidly around the fire, grouping off to talk, get drinks, eat, laugh.

"So, I've heard that you were tattoo shopping, Miss Duvall," Athena saw fit to tease Emma. "Never saw you as the type."

Emma didn't take offense, laughing as she gestured to Athena's forearm, " _You_ have a tattoo!"

Athena smiled as she glanced at the ink on the inside of her right forearm – a long paintbrush painting the words 'we survive.' " _I'm_ the type."

"The tattoo type?" Emma guffawed.

Athena winked. "The daring type."

It was dark by the time a woman wandered into their party with a six pack in hand. She was a bit older than them, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She walked up to Emma, Athena, and Brooke. "Hi."

Brooke had been smiling happily before, but her smile fell a little limp in confusion, "Hey."

"Is Stavo around?" she asked.

The girls shared a look before Brooke gestured to where Stavo was talking with Will, Noah, and Audrey. "Yeah, he's right over there by the fire."

"Cool, thanks," the woman said, shoving the six back into Brooke's hands before sauntering over to Stavo. "Gustavo. Hey."

He greeted her a little too enthusiastically, "Hey. How's it going?"

"Good."

Brooke muttered to them through clenched teeth, "He might die over there."

"I wouldn't be shocked," Athena murmured back. "He's obviously trying to get to you though."

"She's right," Emma agreed. "He must really be upset over the whole New York thing."

"I didn't think he'd be stupid enough to do this," Brooke hissed.

Athena quietly excused herself under the guise of getting another drink and summoned Will over to her with her eyes. Immediately understanding her look, Will walked off to join her by the cooler. "What's up?"

She gestured her head to her brother and the new woman, "What do you know about that?"

Will grimaced, "That would be you brother's colossal screw up in an attempt to make Brooke jealous or something. She's Billie, the groundskeeper at Whitten Mansion. We went over there to see if we could get a look at the estate, or answers to questions, next thing we know, Gustavo was inviting her here tonight to get those answers."

"Why are men so damn stupid?" Athena groaned, digging her fist into the cooler to grab another cheap beer. "You're lucky you got all of that out of your system before we got together."

"Don't I know it?" he grinned, giving her a slight peck.

Later, she ended up with Emma and Brooke again, having a tense conversation with the new woman, Billie. Brooke was asking her, "So what's it like working for Alex Whitten?"

Oblivious to the tension, Billie smiled easily and said, "Oh, it's a pretty cool gig. Super relaxed. Alex just comes and goes. Sometimes I don't even know if he's in town."

Brooke smirked and nudged Emma, "He's definitely here now. Emma's going to lunch with him tomorrow," and added with a look to her friend, "and you're definitely going, 'cause he's a total catch."

"A difficult catch," Billie commented. "He's kind of reclusive... Hard to pin down."

"Have you pinned him down?" Brooke wanted to know.

She smirked deviously, "Let's just say I've eaten his snapper once or twice, but that's in the past. I mean, he's a great guy."

"Great guy whose ancestors were murdered by a psychotic chick," Stavo chimed in from where he was sitting with Noah on the picnic table.

Noah scoffed out of his beer bottle, "Uh, there is no evidence proving that she was actually psychotic. Could that just be a product of too many re-writes?"

"I almost missed this side of you from class," Athena laughed as she wondered over to Will and snuggled into his side with her drink.

"Depends who's doing the rewrites," Stavo non-subtly said to Noah.

"Well, according to official island legend, Anna Hobbs was completely nuts..." Billie told them, sitting on top of a cooler as the others gathered around. "Like, dousing her teacher in kerosene and trying to light her on fire nuts. They say she even tried to drown a Whitten child in a well. I mean, people actually believed that her insanity was driven by pure evil."

Athena almost though it was hokey, the way Billie was eating up the tourist attention. But she didn't say anything. It was an interesting legend when you weren't one of the tones who lived through it.

"And it all came to a head one Halloween night. Anna Hobbs' mother knew she needed psychological help, but her meager salary wouldn't cover the bills. Rumor has it she was sleeping with Reginald Whitten as a way of, you know, encouraging him to take Anna to a psychiatric facility on the mainland..." she arched a brow. "You know, pay for it all. But what neither of them knew was that Anna knew all about their plan, and it sent her right over the edge. She waited for her family to fall asleep, stripped off all her clothes, and, of course, what's a deranged murderer without a really creepy mask?" She grinned like a children's storyteller. Like she wasn't depicting the legend of a mass murderer. "And she set to work to make sure that no one would ever hide her away in an institution. She started with her mother. Then she took care of her brother. And in the dead of night, she calmly headed towards the Whitten mansion. Reginald Whitten never knew what hit him. Overwhelmed by what she'd done, she only saw one way of escape. She ran to the end of the dock and killed herself with the very same sheers she used to carry out her crimes. And that is the official island legend, according to Murder Island."

Stavo couldn't help but comment sarcastically from his position standing next to her, "You don't sound like a believer."

Billie looked up at him casually, "I think she was misunderstood."

Noah quickly gulped down the swig of beer he'd been drinking to emphatically agree with her, "Exactly! People have twisted the tragic reality of Anna Hobbs into a completely fabricated legend."

"But how much have they twisted it?" Stavo asked, eager to get Noah inspired to take on the legend of Anna Hobbs for the next book. "What if the constable's journal is right and Whitten's body really was staged?"

Emma looked at him, "So, are you saying that she didn't commit the murders?"

"It wouldn't be the first time an innocent person was framed and turned into a patsy," Athena murmured, laying her head on Will's shoulder.

"It would mean that something else drove her to kill herself that night," Noah was saying, and looked like he was about to launch into a Noah-esque rant.

But then a burly figure with the brown sack Anna Hobbs mask on and a pair of gardening sheers in his hands, letting out a long wail as he broke through the trees and advanced on them all. Most of them let out startled gasps as they stood at attention. Athena quickly bent down and pulled out the handgun she had strapped to her thigh, running for the attacker. Luckily, Emma had also thought quickly, and charged the masked man, body checking him with her shoulder to his chest and knocking him right onto his back.

"Show me your hands!" Athena shouted, standing next to Emma over the man with her gun poised at his heart.

The figure groaned as he laid his hands flat above his head on the ground, "It's me! It's just me!"

"Jeremy!?" Emma cried, bending over to rip the sack off of his head to reveal Noah and Stavo's editor.

"I think you broke my back," he complained, grunting. His eyes widened when he saw that Athena had yet to lower her gun. "You want to put that thing away?"

"Not particularly," she muttered.

"What the hell, Jeremy?" Emma demanded.

"Seriously," Audrey yelled from her place as she came up next to her friends.

"Those jujitsu lessons really paid off," Noah commented, gazing at Emma. He then turned to Athena with a mix of trepidation and awe, "You brought your gun!?"

"Are you surprised?" she asked him as she finally relented and put it back into the holster on her thigh underneath her long dress.

Stavo roughly helped Jeremy to his feet as Audrey chastised him, "Dude, you do not pull that prank on survivors of multiple murder sprees!"

"Okay, look, I'm just trying to help out your buddy Noah," he beseeched to them. "Make the legend more real for him. Get him over his writer's block."

Emma got into his face and hissed at him, "Figure out a better way, because that way sucked for everybody." She stalked away with a last glare at him.

Audrey muttered at him, "Moron," as she followed her friend.

Billie just awkwardly stood there for a moment before she broke the silence, "Yeah. Well, hey, if you guys still want a tour of the mansion, I could probably get you in tomorrow. Sounds like Alex will be gone around lunchtime."

"That would be awesome, actually," Stavo readily accepted.

She smiled at him suggestively, "Cool. You want to walk me home?"

Brooke walked with a daunting frown as she waited for her 'boyfriend's' answer.

But it never came. Because Athena jumped in before he could even open his mouth, "No! No, he doesn't." She gestured to the still wincing Jeremy, "This genius will. And then he'll fuck off."

With a petulant frown, Billie gave Stavo one last look before awkwardly loping off with Jeremy. Once she was gone, Athena threw her arm around Stavo's shoulders and yanked his beer away to take a big gulp from it. She then turned to the others, "I think me and Stavo have to have one of those brother-sister chats. Would you excuse us?"

"Gladly," Brooke muttered under her breath, already loping off with a deep glare marring her pretty features.

"I'll check on her," Noah murmured under _his_ breath, following after his friend.

Will locked eyes with Athena, "I'll meet you back at the house?"

With a grin, she corrected, "Why not meet me out here in about fifteen minutes?"

A slight smirk adorning his lips, Will nodded and agreed, "See you soon then," and trailed off after Brooke and Noah.

Once they were all gone and out of ear shot, Athena reared back her hand to smack it into the back of her half-brother's head. "What the hell is the matter with you!?" As he rubbed his new wound, she didn't give him the chance to respond. "Did you really think in your tiny male brain that crudely trying to make Brooke jealous – and possibly actually cheating on her since you're drunk off your ass – would incite her in any way to verbally admit that she wants you to move to New York with her?"

"I would never cheat on her!" Stavo chose to respond to that part of her rant first. "Not even drunk. You know me better than that."

"I know how alcohol works," she shot back at him. "Of course, Brooke wants you in New York, you idiot! I understand that you want confirmation of that in order to feel secure in your relationship. But I also understand her side. She is used to being constantly let down the moment she shows vulnerability. She had no example otherwise. And she's afraid that once you give up everything here in order to follow her, you'll resent her for it. You could've solved that by applying to art school with me, but _no,_ you're too cool for school."

"What do you want me to do?" Stavo finally got a word in. "Follow her across the country when she won't even admit that she wants to be with me? She keeps saying, 'take her out of the equation.' But without her – or you – there is no equation. I don't have anything going for me other than you guys and the books, that's it!"

"You need to actually talk to each other!" Athena smacked his forehead lightly. "I don't know how _I_ became the relationship expert all of the sudden, but relationships take work and open communication. Not cheap tricks like flirting with other people or vague conversations in the shallow end. I mean, I know we're all still in High School for the time being, but you're being _really_ High School right now." She took a step back and put her hands on her hips, looking like a scolding mother. "Now, you're going to march up to the house, hat in hand, and beg Brooke to forgive you and have a very frank discussion about your future together. Be blunt and honest. That's kind of your specialty. Don't hide behind your insecurities."

He scowled at her, but she could see that he was actually listening to her. Expectantly, she lifted an arm to point at the trail up to the house, waiting for him to skulk off. When he finally did, she let out a low long sigh and melted into the bench of the picnic table.

After a few minutes of her sitting there in peaceful silence, she heard footsteps approaching and saw Will walking over.

"So, you brought your gun?" he questioned her, sitting beside her and eyeing the area of her thigh where it was hidden.

"Call it a security thing," Athena justified herself. "I didn't want to come to an isolated area I'd never heard of unprepared."

Will nodded, completely understanding. "How in the Hell did you sneak that thing on without me noticing?"

"I'm stealthy," she smirked. "Diana doesn't even know I have it. I guess I'm just used to hiding it. Are you mad?"

"No, I'm just concerned," he told her softly. "You're not over it, even a little, are you? You put on a show for everyone else, but I see you. Nervous to have a vacation, bringing your gun like a security blanket, obsessing over Contos. And the nightmares."

"So, what? Is that so odd?" she hissed a little too harshly.

"No, it's completely normal," he told her quickly. "You know we're all still struggling, right? Emma had a panic attack during her first jiu jitsu class. Audrey nearly lost her job at the theater because she throat-punched an asshole in a Brandon James' mask. Noah and Stavo buried themselves in their book and Noah is paralyzed by the sequel since we lived through the deadliest kind of sequel ever. Brooke avoids going near her dad's office. And I'm claustrophobic now since being buried alive."

When she didn't respond, he stood up in front of her and cupped her face, "Look at me. We're all struggling. You don't have to hide yours. But you do have to find a way to let it go and embrace life. We're alive – we can't waste that."

"I've been having fun here!" she promised him. "We broke in our room – thoroughly. I had a nice time with the girls by the water. Then a nice little bonfire dinner here. And now…" her voice grew sultry as she stood, brushing her whole front against his as she did. "Now I want to enjoy this whole beach to ourselves, tonight."

He slowly smirked, realizing their conversation was over for now. "What did you have in mind?"

Without saying anything, she took him by the hand and started leading through the thin part of the plants and towards the coast. She bent over and unstrapped the gun from her thigh, setting it into the dirt where she could find it later. Then, with a smirk to her boyfriend, she said, "I want to go for a little swim."

He gaped as she slipped her dress into a puddle at her feet and laid it over her gun, kicking off her sandals. As she stood there in just her underwear, and no bra, he asked, "Now? It's freezing. Can't you tell?"

She blushed and briefly covered her breasts, "Douche. Where's your sense of adventure?" With another grin, she also slipped off her panties and started strutting to the water.

"You meant skinny dipping?" he asked incredulously.

Athena laughed in the night air, "Are you coming?"

Silently watching her naked form wade into the water to her ankles, he started stripping as he followed after her. He was a lucky man.

* * *

Back at the 'mansion,' Gustavo crawled up the stairs to his room with Brooke, very much hat in hand. He thought on Athena's words. He really did need to have a frank conversation with his girlfriend. So, he just had to blurt out, "The only reason that I invited Billie tonight was to get under your skin."

Brooke was just slipping on her nightgown for bed, and barely turned her head towards him. "Tell me something I don't know."

"And I know that it was stupid and childish," he admitted.

"Strike two," she drawled as she tied her hair up into a high bun.

"I didn't do anything with her," Gustavo assured her. He sank onto the foot of the bed and heaved a deep sigh, "Sometimes I feel like you don't want to be with me, and... And it hurts."

The blonde girl softened as she looked at her downtrodden boyfriend. She should have known that he felt that way with the New York thing. She should have believed Athena. She climbed to his side on the bed and folded onto her knees, taking his hand, "Gustavo, it's just not true." She cupped his face to make sure he looked at her, even with his averted eyes. "I want to be with you." With her part done, she pressed her lips to his, pulling him down onto the bed with her.


	4. Brewing Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The getaway weekend takes a killer turn.

The next morning when Athena woke up, it was wrapped in the warmth of Will’s arms and the beige duvet of their vacation bed. The morning started off wonderful, especially after such a lovely end to the night before. But it moved along quickly after the whole house – sans editor – had breakfast at the long table and then went their separate ways. Emma went to have lunch with her ‘fancy man’ as Athena called him. Brooke decided to go the spa after Gustavo treated her to an appointment to further make up for his screwup last night. So, Athena and Will decided to tag along with the true crime writing duo and Audrey to the Whitten mansion for that tour Billie promised. Athena insisted on going to watch her brother around the other blonde. And Will went to go with her and the others that had become his friends.

“I'm surprised Jeremy's missing this, and he hasn't responded to any of my texts,” Noah commented as they walked to the side of the mansion.

“Nobody saw him this morning?” Audrey asked.

“Nope, he's been MIA since his little prank last night,” Stavo said. “My sister probably scared the living shit out of him.”

Their laughter was cut short when they reached the side entrance and saw a slight trail of blood leading out to a stump with bloody gardening sheers stuck into it. Audrey licked her lips and faced the others worriedly. “Halloween decorations. Right? Please someone tell me these are Halloween decorations.”

Stavo carefully walked up the small steps and pushed open the first screen door, knocking on the firmer door, “Billie? Hello?”

“Look, usually I'm a fan of the macabre, but this is...” Audrey shuddered.

“It’s probably a prank,” Will tried to appease her. “I mean, you’ve seen the jackasses running around with Brandon James’ masks in Lakewood.”

“Hello?” Stavo called through the door, trying to look through the window. “Too dark to see.”

Noah wasn’t as worried as them, scoffing, “What, you think maybe Anna Hobbs came back and took Billie's soul?”

“Noah, I think this is real blood,” Gustavo said grimly, standing over a small puddle of it just inside the screen door.

Athena readily pulled out her phone, “I'm calling the police.”

Within ten minutes, the island Sheriff was on the scene, taking it all in. “Could be a prank. Every year, we get kids daring each other to make it look like Anna's back. No wonder these morons ripped off Anna's mask and shears from the antique store yesterday.”

“I'll bet Sid is extremely irritated,” Noah said.

“Who is Sid?” Athena asked.

“The curator of the historical museum,” Stavo told her.

“Yeah, we got a call him too,” the Sheriff nodded along before looking at them. “How do you know Sid?”

“Met him yesterday with our friend Jeremy,” Stavo said.

Audrey felt compelled to add, “Who, by the way, has an Anna Hobbs mask and shears.”

The Sheriff frowned instantly, not liking the sound of that. “Where's Jeremy now?”

“I don't know,” Stavo shrugged. “Nobody's seen him since last night.”

“He pranked us with a fake attack with the mask and sheers last night so we told him to get lost,” Athena explained. “We figured he took it to heart.”

“Jeremy have a last name?”

“Uh, Jeremy Blair,” Noah informed him.

He nodded and pulled on his radio to speak into it, “All right, put out an APB on Billie Field and Jeremy Blair, just to be safe. Copy.” He went to caution the teens, peering at them and then the sky, “Looks like a storm's brewing, so batten down the hatches. Don't leave the island. We're bound to have more questions.”

* * *

After giving full statements to the Island Sheriff, the group of teens slowly made their way back to the house, exchanging their own theories for what happened to Billie and where the blood came from. Gustavo was convinced that something awful had happened to Billie. Audrey was convinced that this was all Jeremy’s doing. That made the most sense to Athena, given what Jeremy had pulled last night. But where had the blood come from?

When they got to the house, the storm was brewing, and the sun had started falling. Brooke was in the living room, taking to Emma about her date. She had only gotten back a minute ahead of them. When Brooke saw her boyfriend’s face, though, she knew something was wrong.

“What happened?”

They were cut off by the landline ringing. All frowned and no one moved for a second. But finally, Emma stepped forward and picked it up. “Hello?”

Athena felt cold when she saw Emma’s face drop to fear.

“You're dead.”

“Emma, who are you talking to?” Athena finally saw fit to ask.

But Emma was only listening to the caller and walking over to the back window. She flipped on the light for the back porch. When she did, it illuminated Billie’s bloody body draped in the wicker rocking chair.

Emma let out a scream as she dropped the phone and backed into Athena’s arms. Will ducked down to pick up the phone and hold it to his ear, “Hello? Who the Hell is this?” After awaiting a response that didn’t come, he hung up the phone and said, “They hung up.”

“Call the Sheriff!” Audrey exclaimed, coming to lead Emma away from the porch. Stavo quickly shut the light off again and took Brooke protectively in his arms.

Will did as Audrey said and called the station, reporting that they’d found Billie’s body left at their mansion. They said they’d send the Sheriff right away before he hung up the phone and put it away. He kept Athena’s hand wrapped up in his while they anxiously waited for the Sheriff to arrive. Of course, first, Athena had them all check the doors and windows to make sure everything was locked.

The minutes ticked away as they sat like ducks. Minutes turned into half an hour before Emma called the Sheriff’s station again to see what was taking so long. “Okay, thank you.” She hung up and turned to them, shrugging, “They're still saying the sheriff's on his way.”

Brooke blanched at her words and shrunk into Stavo’s side, “We need to get off of this island right now. I mean, you don't think...” She looked around to see everyone in varying states of fear and solemnness, “You don't think Kieran's killer is here, right? What if Kieran's killer is on this island to take revenge on what is left of us?”

Audrey stepped up to her to comfort her, pointing out softly, “Then why kill Billie?”

Seeing that her words calmed Brooke a bit, Athena kept her thoughts to herself. There’s no telling why a psycho serial killer would kill Billie, even if she had nothing to do with any of this. They could have just felt like it.

Noah, however, didn’t keep his thoughts to himself. “There were bloody shears in Billie's yard. Clearly a reference to the legend of Anna Hobbs. It's like the killer is combining these two legends into one brand new murder spree. I mean, call me crazy, but I think we're in "Freddy vs. Jason" territory here.”

Athena groaned into Will’s shoulder, “Let’s not go meta right now.”

Audrey brought up her own theory though. “Who do we know who would love to combine two very bankable legends? I think we're in Jeremy territory here. I mean, how far would he go to create a buzz for his next release?”

Emma flinched into her hands, “I can't believe that this is happening _again_.”

Everyone jumped when they suddenly heard shrill screaming and rushed to the front door where it was coming from. 

“Help! Somebody!”

Will and Athena were the first ones to get to the door. Will opened it and everyone tumbled out to see a certain ginger screaming her head off on the porch and then whimpering into her hands. Audrey pushed to the front of the group and gaped at the sight of her girlfriend. “Gina?”

“He's... he's dead,” she cried as she swayed, and Audrey reached out to steady her.

“Who's dead?”

Athena’s eyes followed where Gina was staring, and she yelped when she saw the decapitated head of the Sheriff they had only just met earlier today. Everyone else noticed then and let out a symphony of gasps. They all rushed back inside – who knew if they were still out there – and Audrey led her girlfriend to the kitchen. Gina had blood on her hands and shook almost violently as Audrey wet a cloth to wash it off. “It's okay. It's okay. You're okay, I promise.”

“Gina, what are you doing here?” Noah asked.

She was still crying as she answered, stammering, “I came to surprise Audrey. Next question, why is there a head on the front porch?”

“It's the sheriff's,” Athena informed the others that hadn’t gotten a good look.

“Why is the sheriff's head on the front porch?” Gina asked, voice shrill and fast.

“He was here to help us,” Audrey reluctantly explained, not wanting to frighten her. “He... there's a killer on the island.”

Brooke broke in then, refraining from pacing the kitchen, “Okay, so what is the plan? We need a plan.”

Noah turned to the ginger girl, “Wait, Gina, how did you get here?”

“I took a boat, but it left,” she told him.

Audrey groaned. “Okay, okay, so we're basically trapped on the island until the ferry comes in the morning.”

Everyone looked lost for a tense silent moment. But then Emma said, “No. No, we're not.”

* * *

They followed Emma to the Whitten mansion, after she told them that Alex had his own boat. They could get off the island if he helped them. The storm was starting to whip around them as Emma banged on the door until Alex finally answered. When they explained what happened to Billie and the Sheriff, he seemed just as eager to get off the island. They all piled into his van and started racing for the dock.

“Thank you so much for doing this for us,” Emma said from the passenger's seat.

Alex gazed worriedly up at the dark and storming sky, “It's gonna be rough. I hope we can beat the storm. I can't believe somebody would do this to Billie.”

In the back, Athena vaguely listened to Audrey comfort a hysterical Gina while leaning into Will’s side. His lips brushed her ear as he whispered nearly inaudibly, “Did you bring it?”

Her fingers closed around the hilt of her gun under her maxi skirt as she shortly nodded. “We’re going to be okay though. We’re getting the hell out of here.”

Once they got to the dock, they all clambered out of the van and raced for where Alex’s boat was supposed to be under the assault of cold wind and rain. But when they got to the end, they noticed that nothing was there but rocky water.

“What the hell?” Alex yelled over the storm.

“Where's your boat?” Emma asked.

“Someone stole your boat?” Gina yelped.

“We're not getting off this island, are we?” Emma lamented.


	5. Whitten Mansion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Lakewood teens prepare to survive the night and call for help at Whitten Mansion when Jeremy shows up.

“I'm not used to having visitors, but, uh, make yourselves at home,” Alex said as he let them back into the Whitten mansion. “I'll go fire up the generator.”

Despite their dire circumstances, Noah gazed around the mansion if fascination, “I cannot believe we are actually here. The Whitten murder mansion.”

Gina paused with wide eyes, “Oh, wait. The Whitten what?”

Stavo looked at her and explained, “Oh, you don't know? This is the house where Anna Hobbs committed her final murder. This is where she killed Reginald Whitten, brutally, in his bed as he slept.”

As Gina whimpered in fear, Audrey gave him a look, “Can we maybe stop the murder talk for a minute?”

Noah added, “Yeah, and there are a few details in that story that don't add up anyway.”

Brooke was still admiring the house too, “Wow. Now this is a mansion.”

Noah called to the others as he wandered into the front room, “Hey, there's a phone in here, guys.”

The other teenagers had started checking their phones for a signal while Noah checked the landline. Athena stayed glued to Will’s side as she fingered the butt of her gun under her skirt.

“You all getting any bars yet?” Stavo asked.

Audrey answered, “Uh, no. Cell towers must be out.”

Noah called back to them, “This is dead too.”

Brooke shivered as she clutched to Stavo, “I don't like this. We're totally cut off.”

Noah walked back into the side room where most of the others had congregated as Alex returned to the group and asked, “Isn't anybody worried about where Jeremy might be?”

Audrey shook her head firmly, “No, we are better off without him.”

Emma looked at her a little thrown. “Wow, you must really think that he killed those people.”

Audrey nodded as if it was obvious. “All signs point to yes. He is the one that brought us all to this island. He showed up with shears last night. Shears showed up at Billie's. Billie showed up dead, and now he's MIA.”

Noah asked her, “Okay, wow, you really don't like him, do you?”

Emma sighed, “Okay, look, whether or not Jeremy did this, whoever did might have killed Kieran.”

“In a courthouse,” Athena realized out loud. “In police custody.”

Emma: nodded, “Exactly. So, I doubt that a few locks on the door are gonna stop them from getting in here. We need to get ready.”

Gina gaped, “What we need to do is call the authorities.” She turned to Alex, “Are you sure there isn't any way we can get the phones back up?”

Noah pursed his lips thoughtfully, “I don't know about that, but Alex, I saw a CB radio in your truck?”

Alex nodded limply, “Yeah, but it's been dead for two years.”

Noah still seemed hopeful, “I might be able to get it working.”

As he started to leave with Alex, Stavo stepped forward, “I'll come with you.”

“Me too,” Will volunteered, reluctantly releasing Athena from his arms.

“Cool.”

Brooke grabbed Stavo’s arm before he could get too far, “No, shouldn't we all stay together inside? I mean, doesn't that seem like the most logical course of action right now?”

Noah sighed, “Look, we're sitting ducks. This is a pretty classic horror concept. "And Then There Were None," anyone?”

Stavo held Brooke’s hand, “We'll be fine. Don't worry.”

Noah turned back to Alex, “Look, I just need a screwdriver, wire-cutters, and some tape.”

Alex pointed him the right way, “Okay, kitchen, second door on the left. Try the bottom drawer.”

“Okay.”

Athena pulled on Will’s hand when he went to follow them. Before he could reassure her that he would be okay, she had a stun gun out of her person and held out to him. His eyes widened, “Where were you hiding that?”

She chuckled at him, “I’ll show you later. Be careful out there? Even without a psycho killer, it’s a pretty nasty storm rolling in.”

“I’ll be super careful,” he promised. He leaned down to give her a slow and gentle kiss. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

* * *

After the boys left, Emma had pulled Alex aside and Athena heard her start to tell him about all that had happened back in Lakewood. She saw Audrey and Gina make their way upstairs. She quietly made her way into the front room where Brooke stood, pensively staring out the window.

“We should make it a rule to avoid the windows,” Athena spoke softly. “As well as Islands, cruises, elevators, any and all abandoned places or long stretches of wilderness...”

Brooke weakly chuckled, “Alright, I get it.”

Athena watched her as she kept her eyes trained on the storm outside. “I’m worried about them out there too. Even we make the mistake of thinking we have all the time in the world to say what we’ve been holding back. Resolve what needs to be resolved. When we of all people know that that’s just not the case half the time.”

Before the blonde could respond with something other than a nod, Emma ventured into the room. “Hey.”

Brooke grinned to the window, “Did you at least make out?”

Emma blushed and scoffed, “Shut up.”

Brooke shrugged with one shoulder, “You could do a lot worse.”

Emma noticed how distracted she was and shared a look with Athena. “What's wrong? Worried about Stavo?”

Brooke sighed, “Yeah. I don't know. We just keep having that fight. It's honestly starting to feel really pointless and stupid.”

Emma bumped her shoulder with hers, “Maybe you should just tell him that when he comes back.”

Suddenly, the very wet figure of Jeremy smacked into the window, shouting in, “Hey! Emma! Let me in, please! Let me in!”

All the noise he made attracted the attention of others as Alex and Audrey came downstairs to see Jeremy at the front door, banging to be let in.

Audrey peered at him, “Jeremy does not look happy.” Then she grinned at the notion, “I say we leave him out there.”

Emma crossed her arms, “Okay, if he's the killer, that's one thing. If he's not... Shouldn't we at least try to let the guys know?”

Alex had left the room for a bit but ventured back with a rifle in hand, “I think we can handle it.”

Audrey gaped, “Whoa, where did that come from?”

Alex shrugged, “I'm not a fan of guns, but my great granddad was a bootlegger.”

Athena just shrugged and said, “I guess I can pull mine out now then,” reaching under her skirt to get her gun.

Emma gaped at her, “You brought your gun on vacation?”

Athena gave her a look, “It's a good thing I did, don’t you think?”

Audrey looked at her and Alex, “What are you saying? Are we gonna shoot him?”

“It’s a thought,” Athena said.

But Alex seemed more serious, “No, but if your friend is the killer, isn't it better that we have control?”

“He's not really our friend,” Audrey said.

“All the more reason for the gun,” he responded. He turned to Emma, “What do you think, Emma?”

Emma slowly nodded towards the door and Alex and Athena readied their guns. Brooke shrunk behind them as Audrey and Emma opened the large door. A sopping wet Jeremy busted inside. “Jesus, you guys. I was starting to f...” he trailed off as he noticed the guns pointed his way. He put his hands up in a surrender move and tried to smile charmingly at Alex, “You must be Alex Whitten. You have a lovely home. Guys, maybe tell him he can put the gun down?”

Emma hissed, “Jeremy, where you have been?”

He squinted at her incredulously. “What the hell? I'm not the enemy...”

Audrey yelled, “Where have you been all day?”

As Alex stepped closer with his rifle poised, Jeremy started stammering through his explanation, “Okay, fine. I... after the bonfire, I passed out on the beach. I-I woke up the next afternoon, and I went for a swim to wash the drunk off. I was headed back to change when I saw some psycho in the Anna Hobbs mask leaving a human head on the front porch.”

Audrey narrowed her eyes at him, “You came back to the house? Okay, why did you leave?”

Jeremy seemed to be shivering out of fear instead of cold now. “This sicko looked at me. They saw me. They had shears. I had nothing, so I ran. And I kept running. I ended up lost, and then everything went dark. I went to the sheriff's station. It's empty. Everything's empty. I-I was looking for literally anybody, and I saw the lights on here, and I was like, "Oh, thank God." But apparently you guys have turned on me.”

Audrey glared at him now, her full suspicion unleashed on the publisher. “Well, here's the thing. The only the person that we know who had a mask and shears is you. You are the one who brought us here. You're the one who's been taking over all of...”

Alex cut in, “Okay. Settle down. Look, we don't know who the killer is, okay? So, let's not point fingers. Why don't we get Jeremy in some dry clothes and try to calm down?”

Jeremy agreed and followed Alex and Emma upstairs.

* * *

“Hey, uh, double tape that for me, okay?” Noah asked Gustavo

“I'm not double-taping, boss,” Stavo replied, dripping with exasperation. “We got to get the thing moving already.”

Noah sighed at the mess of a radio Alex had. “Look, I'm trying, okay? I'm not Marconi. He invented the radio!”

“Freaking out is only going to make things worse,” Will interceded from the backseat.

“Making it worse than I already made it?” Noah shouted. “We're here because of my writer's block. It's my fault that we came to Murder Island and found murder. I'm the inciting incident! I'm Marion Crane stealing 40 grand and running away! Everyone's gonna die because of me!”

“You are so self-involved,” Stavo said over the sound of the storm outside the van. “You know what? This is why you have writer's block.”

Noah looked over at him incredulously, “What are you talking about?”

“You blame yourself because you're profiting off of your dead friends' stories, because they're dead and you're alive,” Stavo explained plainly. “And you know what? It's not writer's block that's in your way. It's survivor's guilt.”

“So what, you don't feel bad about making money off of murder?”

Stavo shook his head, “No. Not really, man.”

Before Noah could respond, the radio crackled to life and voices could be heard.

“Whoa, it’s on!” Will exclaimed.

Noah straightened up and started tinkering with the settings. “Oh, yeah! Oh, yes! Okay, yeah. We just, uh, turn it to nine for emergencies, and, uh, hello?” He grabbed the radio and tried to speak as clearly as possible, but his voice was still shaking. “Hello? Uh, mayday, mayday. Come in?”

The voice on the other end was garbled, but they could just make out, “This is Coast Guard...”

“Oh, my God. It works!” the boys laughed together.

“Answer it!” Stavo said, smacking Noah’s shoulder.

Noah coughed and nodded, speaking into the radio again. “We're on Shallow Grove Island. There is a killer here. There's at least three people dead, including the sheriff, and we are all trapped at the Whitten mansion. 10-4.”

“Might be a prank...”

“No, sir. No, this is very much real. We are in a lot of danger,” Noah insisted quickly, desperate for them to heed their SOS.


	6. Aftermath... Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end approaches...

Athena, gun in hand, was peering out the window of the front door to check for the boys. Her teeth gnawed on her lower lip as she worried about her boyfriend, friend, and brother out there with a killer loose. While she didn’t like Jeremy, he never screamed psycho to her. He just seemed so weak to her. She didn’t think he was behind this. But someone was. And she didn’t think it was the same person that killed Kieran either. Call it a gut feeling.

Brooke was standing behind her, and she turned when she saw footsteps. Emma and Alex were walking in and Audrey was just behind them.

“Uh, you guys haven't seen Gina, have you?”

“Not since you guys left earlier,” Alex said.

“Okay. I'll go find her,” she said, starting to head out of the room.

“No, I'm gonna come with you,” Emma protested, going to follow her.

But Audrey gently pushed her back, “I'm... I'm good.”

Emma seemed confused by the exchange but didn’t say anything as Alex lead the girls into the dining room where plates of delicious food was laid out with candle. “This looks great. When did you do this?”

“That looks really great,” Brooke commented, gesturing to the wine he’d pulled out.

Alex smiled and held it up, “This is the most expensive bottle of wine in the house.”

“Don't waste it on a night like this,” Emma whispered.

He turned to her. “It's actually the perfect time. And besides... it's already open.” As he went to get some empty wine glasses, he mentioned, “It makes me think of this Buddhist parable that I like.”

“Hear a lot of Buddhist parables?” Athena asked idly, not putting her gun away.

But he was unfazed. “I know, right? But still, I like it. It's the story of a man running for his life. A vicious, blood-thirsty tiger is chasing him,” he said as he poured a glass for Emma first. “He runs as fast as he can all the way to a cliff, until he trips over the edge, but he manages to catch a vine.” He handed a glass to Brooke, and another to Athena, but she made no move to drink any. She wanted to stay as alert as possible. 

“It looks like he's escaped, until he looks down and sees a family of vicious, blood-thirsty tigers waiting for him to drop. And to make matters worse, two adorable little mice start to chew on the vine.”

Brooke and Athena shared an awkward look as Alex and Emma stared into each other’s eyes. “In that moment, he contemplates his fate, his certain death, and that's when he sees a patch of wild strawberries growing in the cliff's rock. So what does he do?”

Emma smiled and shook her head, “I don't know. Tell me.”

“He eats the strawberry, and nothing's tasted sweeter,” Alex said, clinking his glass against hers.

“Seize the day. I see why you love that story.”

Athena pretended to sip her own drink as she mulled the story over in her head. In that scenario, she’d eat the strawberry too. And she did believe in seizing the day. But she also believed in what Will always reminded her – they survive. And she wasn’t on a cliff. There were no tigers that she couldn’t just shoot. She wasn’t dying. Not tonight.

* * *

Emma offered for Athena to borrow some pants and a shirt since she’d only packed dresses for the vacation weekend. Athena followed her up to a room upstairs and Emma pulled out some jeans and thermal shirt meant for sleeping but would do in the stormy weather. Athena thanked her and changed quickly, making sure to put the safety on her gun before stashing it in the back of the jeans.

Emma let out a sharp gasp that had Athena whipping out her gun and aiming it for where she was looking. But then she saw what made Emma gasp wasn’t a person but writing on the wall. The word; “NEVER” in all caps, written in blood.

“That’s blood,” Athena whispered.

“On the phone, he said I would never get away from him. Never,” Emma whispered back.

Both girls gasped when the lights went out, plunging the room into darkness.

“We need to check on Jeremy,” Athena said, grabbing Emma’s hand and dragging her out of the room.

* * *

Athena and Emma rounded up the others and made sure to tell them what they’d found. They all agreed to check on the room they locked Jeremy in.

“I really hope Jeremy's still in here,” Brooke shuddered.

“Let's find out,” Alex said as he unlocked the door and opened it. Revealing a dark and empty room. There was glass on the floor from the small window above the door and the back window seemed to have been broken open.

“Could he really have gotten out of there?” Brooke asked, all of them shining their cellphone and lantern lights around.

“I guess so,” Alex muttered.

Emma came back from the back window, “Maybe he left that message and then took off.”

“Or he could still be in the house,” Athena pointed out. “Sometimes they’re closer than we expect them to be.”

“Someone's messing with the generator,” Audrey said over the raging storm. “Jeremy, whoever, I need to find Gina.” She started storming off, but Emma insisted on following her this time.

“Hey, Audrey, I'm not letting you go alone.”

“We'll double-check the house. If he's in here, we'll find him,” Alex commented.

Brooke stayed behind Athena and her gun as well and Alex and his rifle as they stalked downstairs. They were all startled by rattling knocks at the door when they got to the front of the house.

“Hello? Are you guys there?” They saw the boys’ faces in the glass.

“Open up!” Stavo shouted.

“Open the door! Hey!” Will shouted too.

Athena rushed to the door and unlocked and opened it. She hugged Will tight with her free arm, not minding how wet and cold he was.

“Thank God,” she heard Brooke say as she hugged Stavo close.

“We got ahold of the coast guard,” Will told them, earning a collective sigh of relief.

“They're getting a boat out here,” Stavo said.

“Cops too, but it's gonna take a couple of hours,” Noah added. “What happened to the lights?”

“Generator's out.” Alex said. “I'll go see if I can get it going again. You guys stay here. Keep that door locked.” As he walked away, Athena and Will locked and bolted the doors.

“Anything happen while we were gone?” Will asked.

Athena sighed, “Jeremy showed up. Everyone’s pretty suspicious of him so we locked him in a room. But it looks like he escaped. Power’s out, Jeremy’s gone, someone wrote Never in red on the wall. Everything is just a mess and I want to get out of here.”

“Coastguards on the way, we will get out of here,” Will promised. “It’ll just be a few hours. We can handle that.”

Athena idly traced the butt of her gun at her hip holster. “Something still feels wrong.”

Will frowned, holding her hand, “What do you mean?”

“I just… it’s Alex,” Athena admitted. “Something about him seems off. He doesn’t seem like the heir type. He didn’t get nearly as freaked out about all of this as I would expect someone not like us who have been through this before would be.”

Will gave her his full attention. “Do you think… he’s involved in this?”

Athena shrugged, eyeing their surroundings. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m just not trusting of strangers anymore, overly suspicious.”

“After what we’ve been through, that’s not exactly a bad thing. Especially right now,” Will assured her.

Athena sighed through her nose and said, “Maybe we should check the house. Audrey and Emma are looking for Gina. But we still need to find Jeremy.”

Will pulled out a flashlight from his pocket and switched it on. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

They scanned hallways of the house, looking for any sign of Jeremy or that he’d been through there. Wet footprints, open doors, whatever. Will’s flashlight passed over an ajar door and the couple stopped. They shared a look before Will reached out to push the door open, revealing a storage closet. He flashed the light inside, showing only coats and boxes inside. No Jeremy.

Athena had taken out her gun, safety still on. But suddenly something heavy and hard smacked into her weapon and knocked it out of her hands. Will whipped around with his flashlight, illuminating Alex’s menacing glared.

“You!” Athena growled, crouching down to try and find her gun in the darkness.

Before Will could act, Alex smacked the butt of her rifle into Will’s head, knocking him out. And then he bent over to grab Athena by her hair. He kicked and dragged them both into the closet and shut it, locking it and stick a door under the doorknob.

* * *

Brooke and Stavo were having the beginning of a heart to heart in the upstairs master bedroom when Audrey and Noah wandered in and broke it up. “Sorry, guys. We've been looking everywhere. There's no sign of Gina or Jeremy.”

“Wait, this is the master bedroom, isn't it?” Noah asked with fascination as he scanned the space. “Reginald Whitten's body was found right there. The constable's journal said the body was staged, but why? And why was there no rainwater?”

“Can't we, you know, focus on the murders that are happening now? In this century?” Audrey asked. It was just like Noah to get sidetracked.

“Whoa, look,” Noah said, gesturing to the bookshelf filled to the brim opposite the bed. He pulled a leather-bound rectangular book from it. “It's a Whitten family album. This should be interesting.” He started flipping through it with everyone else peering over his shoulder. But instead of group pictures of the Whitten family, there were pages of pictures of women in various states of undress. “Or... Or Mr. Whitten really liked to take photographs.”

“Of scantily clad women who aren't his wife,” Audrey observed.

Noah flipped towards the back of the book and saw blank spots with names inscribed under them. Slots reserved for Mrs. Hobbs and her daughter.

“Including not only Mrs. Hobbs, his alleged mistress, but also Anna,” Noah said. He shivered when he felt a light breeze on his hand and his eyes zeroed in on the side of the bookshelf. “Uh, uh, can I have that candle, please?” Brooke handed him the candle she was holding and he held it in front of the bookshelf. The small flame moved with the breeze that had hit Noah’s hand earlier. “You guys, I don't want to get too excited, but I think there is an honest-to-God secret door here.” 

The others shared a look as Noah excitedly set the candle down and started scanning the books with his hands. Picking up books to test them. “Uh, there's just got to be some kind of hidden lever or... Oh, I bet it's... no? Okay, no, but... no, I've seen this before. It's probably like a certain book that you have to, uh... uh, or... or maybe it's... It's something on the floor that...”

Brooke leaned over his shoulder to push at the bookshelf. It creaked open like the door it secretly was.

“Holy haunted mansion, Batman. We have to go in, right?” Noah asked, already taking a step inside the secret room that led to a staircase. The others followed after him with their lanterns and flashlights.

“This is a terrible idea, you know,” Brooke commented. “This is straight out of Edgar Allen Poe.” “Wait, don't you guys see?” Noah asked them as they walked deeper into a secret passageway. “This is the missing piece in the Anna Hobbs story. It explains how the body was moved.” “So, if this is the how, what's the why?” Stavo asked his writing partner. “I bet this was built during prohibition,” Audrey murmured. “Yeah, but why would a rum- running tunnel go to a bedroom?” Noah asked semi-rhetorically. “Unless wait, if Whitten was pressuring Mrs. Hobbs then maybe when Anna… Oh, my God. I think it's all starting to make sense.” “Well, you want to fill the rest of us in?” Brooke asked. “If I'm right, it's all about where this passage is leading.”

* * *

“I thought that all of this was over,” Emma lamented to Alex as they wandered back downstairs after finding no sign of Jeremy upstairs. “I thought that it ended with Kieran. That I could just move on.”

“Maybe you can,” Alex tried to assure her.

“The murderer followed me out here. I'm not getting away,” she said.

“But, you know, maybe I could help you out,” he told her. “I mean, I know some cool places. We could just go. We'd be like travel partners. No strings. You know, I think it could be fun.”

“So, what? We'd just take off?” Emma asked. But she couldn’t lie to herself and say it wasn’t a tempting offer. She may not know Alex very well. But he seemed to understand her.

“Yeah. Why not?” he proposed.

“Yeah. That does sound pretty amazing,” she murmured, smiling as he leaned in to kiss her. Their moment, however, was cut off by the menacing sound of wood creaking.

“You hear that?” Alex asked as he pulled away from her.

“What is it?” Emma asked.

Alex started steering her towards the dining room. “I don't know. Maybe it's Jeremy or whoever's doing this. Lock yourself in.”

“Okay,” she nodded as she shut herself inside the room so he could check out the sound. She hoped her friends were safe.

* * *

“I was right,” Noah exclaimed when they entered the caretaker’s cottage at the end of the passageway. 

“About what? Where are we?” Brooke asked. 

“This is Billie's cottage. The caretaker's cottage,” Noah explained. “This is where the Anna Hobbs murders happened that Halloween night. Except Anna Hobbs didn't commit them.” The cottage was dark save for the quick light of lightning across the rain pattered windows as Noah launched into his tale. 

“It's clear that Reginald Whitten had a roving eye, or worse, so the question is what would he do with a secret passage from the master bedroom to the caretaker's cottage? What if he used it to conduct secret rendezvous with Anna's mother, Lily, who felt like she couldn't say no? But then let's say his eye turned to young Anna, whom he photographed and he watched grow up, wild, rebellious. Maybe he thought to himself, "I want that." Then he came for her one night. But that would have been Mrs. Hobbs's breaking point, and she would have intervened.” 

The others shared looks as he spoke. This blew every other classroom speech about serial killers and murder sprees out of the water. 

“Whitten, not used to hearing no, could have snapped, and maybe he grabbed the nearest weapon, a pair of Mrs. Hobbs's own garden shears. And he killed Anna's mother. And her little brother. Perhaps because he'd seen it all. And then maybe next he turned to Anna, determined to have his way with her, but terrified and enraged, Anna fought him off and vanquished the monster.” 

Another strike of lightning briefly illuminated the empty cottage. “But her family was gone, and this was Whitten's island. The story would never end in her favor. She needed to get far away, so she went to the pier, but there was no boat and she was covered in her family's blood, so she tried to wash it off. She died from her wounds, and that was how they found her.” 

“And Whitten's body was moved to the master bedroom…” Stavo spoke up. 

“…by Mrs. Whitten,” Noah figured out. “She would want to save her family from shame, so she made up the whole Anna story.” 

“Okay, you got all of this from a secret passage?” Brooke asked in disbelief. 

“Way more believable than the crazy girl goes bonkers, killers everyone, snaps herself. I'll give you that,” Audrey admitted. 

“Look, my version is just a hypothesis, okay?” Noah said. “I don't buy the legend, but I like this version better.” 

“How does any of this help with what we're going through right now?” Brooke questioned, frustrated, cold, and scared. 

“This is a very special place. Somebody drew us here so they could do this to us,” Noah said ominously. 

“Someone like Jeremy?” Audrey suggested. But then Brooke’s scream summoned them to the bedroom where they saw Jeremy’s mangled body on the bed. “Or not Jeremy,” Audrey finally considered. 

“Oh, my God,” Noah gasped. 

“Well, I guess he's not the killer,” Stavo said. 

“So, who is?” Noah murmured. He paused when he noticed some reflective, a photograph, wedged under Jeremy’s body. “Wait, do you guys see that?” He reached to pull it from under Jeremy’s back, “Uh, sorry, buddy.” It was a photograph. Of Billie in the arms of a man in front of Alex’s van. “That's Alex's van.” 

“Who's the guy?” Stavo asked. 

“Alex. I think it's Alex Whitten,” Noah realized with horror. 

“So, who's with Emma?” Audrey asked.

* * *

Emma nervously paced the dining room, waiting for Alex to come back. Or waiting for the killer to show just to get this night over with. It was said to be careful of what you wish for. The door banged open and a figure with the Anna Hobbs mask burst it with sheers in hand. Emma let out a yelp and dodged each swipe of the sheers, trying to use her training against him. She was knocked into the side table with a clang. The killer went to stab her into the table, but she rolled out of the way. The sheers got stuck into the wood, so she was able to kick him away and pull them out herself. With a grunt each time, she jabbed the sheers at him. But he dodged and retreated out of the room with a slammed door. 

Emma tried to catch her breath when a couple minutes later, there were knocks at the other door and Alex was yelling, “Emma? Emma, it's Alex.” 

“Hey,” she said as she put the sheers down to open the door. 

“Are you okay?” he asked, rushing in. “I heard your yells.” 

“He was here. He attacked me,” Emma gasped out. 

“Was it Jeremy?” 

She shook her head, “I-I don't know. I couldn't tell. He had the mask on. We have to go.” 

She started to leave the room, but Alex pushed her back in, gently. “No, no, wait, wait. I'll make sure the coast is clear.” 

Emma sighed uneasily as she was left alone again. She slowly backed into the room, away from the door, when she heard the squish of something under her shoes. “Ugh.” She looked down and grimaced when she saw blood pooling under the side table. She started to try and open the drawer-like doors under, but they didn’t budge. She found a crease at the top and lifted it like a lid to reveal the crumpled body of a man in a light silk robe with the initials A.W embroidered on it. “Oh… A.W.” 

“I really wish you hadn't done that,” Alex’s voice sounded next to her. 

Emma whipped around with a gasp, “Who are you?” 

“I'm the man you're meant to be with, Emma,” he insisted. “Don't you see that? You feel it too. I know that you do. I did all of this for you.” 

“You're not Alex Whitten,” she accused him, gesturing to the body. “That is Alex Whitten.” 

“I didn't think you would have ever given Tom Martin a second glance,” he admitted. His face was overtaken by a lofty smile, almost dreamy. “But then you liked me so much, even before you thought I was Alex Whitten, because we're so alike. I understand what you're going through.” 

“You do?” she whispered, edging towards the table. 

“Yeah.” 

Emma briefly eyed the sheers on the table and lunged for them, but Alex beat her with a heavy grunt, grabbing them. She backed away from him in fright. 

“My parents didn't die in a plane crash like Alex's. They were murdered. I was just a kid, but I saw it happen. I was stuck with their bodies for three days before they found me.” 

“That's terrible. That's really terrible,” Emma responded, trying to keep distance between them as he pointed the rifle at her. 

“I'm a survivor, like you. You survived all those murders, a boyfriend who wanted to kill you, a father who abandoned you. Everybody's hounding you like they hounded me. The press, they loved the story of a four-year-old kid being locked up with his parent's bodies. When I saw you on the news, I-I could feel it. You know, that spotlight just burning you.” 

Emma made a run for the door but he was right behind her, slamming her into the wood and turning her around to hold her by her neck. 

“And I knew that I had to do something about it, something big, something for you.” 

Emma eyed him carefully, breathing heavily, “What did you do?” 

“I went on Jeremy's website. I made a little buzz around the Anna Hobbs legend,” he whispered into her ear. 

“You steered us here. You knew that you wanted to be Alex Whitten,” she realized. She gasped sharply when he pulled her away from the door and held her back to his chest, rifle still in hand. 

“Yes. I staged the murders and the calls so that I could be your hero. You're safe here.” 

He sounded truly delusional. He believed they were soulmates or something. He’d killed in her name. In some bid for her affection. But if she had any chance of getting away from him, she’d have to play along with his fantasy and buy time. So, she spoke in a softer voice, trying to relax her tense muscles. “Yeah? You killed all of those people for me?” 

“Only the people that got in our way or that could identify me, but those people, they're not important,” he assured her. “Look, when this storm clears up. Let's just go. You and me. I can teach you how to be somebody else. Isn't that what you want? To-to be somebody else?” 

Emma reached back to stroke the stubble of his cheek and chin, daring to turn around in his arms and cup his face, “You really think that we can do that?” 

He nodded, smiling softly, “I know how to disappear, Emma. I'm-I'm good at it.” 

“Everyone's always so careful with me, but you're not,” she tried to sell her act, inwardly cringing at being so close to a murderer—again. “I think I've been looking for someone like you.” 

He gazed at her in wonderment, “So, you're saying "yes"?” 

“Let's eat the strawberries,” she smiled, attempting to sound excited as she hugged him and contemplated her next move. She needed to be sure her friends were safe. And she needed to get them all out of there. 

* * *

Athena spent some time banging against the door before she used her flashlight to peek under the door and saw the legs of a chair stuck against the door. After that, she started searching the closet for something to help her while shaking Will to try and wake him. He groaned every once in a while, getting louder and moving more. So, she settled on getting him to wake up first. “Will, please wake up,” she begged as quietly as she could, shaking his shoulders. “Come on, baby, we gotta get out of here and help the others. Wake up.” Will groaned again and she saw his eyelids start to flutter as she shined her light in his face. 

He groaned again at the light when his eyes opened. “What happened?” He started trying to sit up, rapidly as the moments before he was hit came back to him. “Who was it? Did they hurt you?” 

“It’s Alex—if that’s even his real name, I don’t know,” Athena explained. “I’m fine, but we’re locked in here and he’s somewhere with Emma and maybe the others. There’s a chair stuck in the door.” 

Will grunted as he pulled something from beneath his back. It was an old metal hanger, “Maybe this’ll help.” 

“You’re a genius,” Athena smiled as he bent the metal into one long line with the hook at the top. She grabbed it and flattened herself on the floor to stick it out under the door towards one of the legs. She angled the hook around the wood and tugged as sharply to the side as she could. It took a couple tries, but eventually, the chair toppled to the ground and they were busting out of the closet. “Let’s find the son of a bitch.” 

* * *

“What about my friends?” Emma asked Alex as she hugged him tight and willed him to believe her charade. She had to know that they were okay. 

“They're fine. I took care of them,” he assured her. 

“Like you took care of Kieran?” she asked, a pit of dread forming in her core. 

“I have to be honest. I didn't—I didn't kill Kieran, I don't know who did. But I-I would, if-if that's what you wanted,” he told her earnestly. She wasn’t expecting that answer. Did that mean there was another killer out there? When would this ever end? But she couldn’t dwell on that right now. 

“What about what about Brooke and Audrey and Noah? How did you take care of them?” Emma needed to know. 

“I locked 'em up. So, they wouldn't get in our way,” he told her. “Will and Athena too. Don’t worry. Athena’s family will be here in the morning to get her and bring her home. Her real home. By then—we’ll be long gone.” 

Emma didn’t understand what he meant by Athena’s family and her ‘real home’ but she couldn’t dwell on that either. They’d figure it out when he was behind bars. She masked her relief over the safety of her friends as praise for Alex’s—well, Tom Martin’s good thinking. “Good. Good,” she told him as she cupped his face and lulled him into thinking she was in love with him too and going along with his crazy plan. When she felt his arms go slack at his sides, she acted and brought her knee to his groin, racing out of the dining room. He ran after her. 

Shouting, “No! Emma! Come here! Emma!” 

Meanwhile, Athena and Will were edging out in the hallway. Athena flashed her light over the floor, discovering her gun gone. He’d taken it. They didn’t have time to thinking about that before they heard shouting. 

“Emma. Come out, come out. Wherever you are.” 

Athena and Will started racing towards the foyer of the house that led into the dining room. They heard the door open and a shrill scream. That sounded like Gina. 

“Where's Emma?” Alex shouted, pointing the gun at Gina. 

As if to answer his question, Emma jumped out from behind a wall and jammed the sheers into his shoulder, racing up the stairs. 

“Well, that wasn't very fair,” he grunted as he yanked them out and chased after her. Athena and Will finally reached the foyer, seeing Alex go after Emma as she crashed onto a balcony in the storm. 

“Emma!” Athena shouted as she and Will ran up the stairs. 

Alex whipped around with the rifle pointed at them as they caught up. “Athena? You should have stayed in the closet.” 

“Yeah, I’ve been told that before,” Athena quipped back. 

“Everything was going to plan,” he gestured to her and Emma. “You should be thankful. We had it all figured out.” 

“So what?” Emma yelled, calling his attention back to her. “If you can't have me, no one can have me?” 

“Yes,” he said over the rain. 

Athena grabbed Will’s arm and gestured for him to attack Alex from behind on her cue. Understanding the signals she’d made him memorize, he nodded. Emma caught the gestures and tried to distract Alex—Tom, with a sarcastic laugh. “That's a little cliché, don't you think? I don't need a hero! I'm Emma Duval! I don't need you!” 

He let out a loud shout and charged for her. Emma lept to the side as Athena raced forward to bend under his knees and trip him as Will attacked his back and the three of them pushed the murderer over the balcony ledge. He fell to the stone steps under them with a sickening crack. Athena hugged Emma to her side, squished between her and Will, as the three of them stared over the balcony as the rest of their friends raced to the scene outside. 

The storm cleared up by the time the Coastguard and police finally arrived. They took Emma, Will, and Athena’s statements first before someone checked Will’s head where he’d been knocked out by Alex—Tom, whoever he was. 

After being questions, Brooke and Stavo sheltered themselves on the porch. “I've been thinking a lot about New York, and I just…” Stavo started to address their previous petty fight. 

“I-I don't want to hear it,” Brooke cut him off softly. 

He looked at her. “You don't?” 

“You're coming to New York with me,” she said, looking up into his eyes. “I can't picture it without you.” 

He smirked at her with humor now, hiding his relief. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. “You're so desperate.” 

“Shut up,” she scoffed, looping her arms around his neck. 

He gazed at her seriously then, “I want to be where you are, wherever that is.” 

Emma was standing away from the scene on her own after Audrey went to her girlfriend, Gina. After being questioned himself, Noah wandered over to her side. “So here we are again. The aftermath.” 

“Hmm,” Emma hummed and nodded, staring at the house. 

“You doing okay?” he asked her, his shoulder brushing against hers. 

“Yeah,” she said softly, putting her arm around his shoulder. “I am.” 

Once Will’s head was checked over, he and Athena sequestered themselves to a different spot on the veranda, locked in each other’s embrace. “Are you ready for what comes after this?” Athena asked him. 

“More press, more coddling from my mother,” Will faked a shudder. “Not at all.” 

Athena snorted rather unladylike. “I don’t mean immediately after this. After High School. New York. Real life. Adult life.” 

Will’s arms comfortingly tightened around her. “Of course, I’m ready. More than ready.” He leaned down to kiss her lips softly. “We’re ready. You’ll go to school and become a famous artist. I’ll play for the NBA. We’ll get a big house, filled with rescue dogs, and travel the world together. But you know… nothing’s set in stone.” 

Athena chuckled at his sarcastic tone. “Good to see you haven’t planned too far ahead. Life kind of takes planning away from us sometimes.” 

“We’ll let life take us wherever it’ll go,” he told her. “All I know for sure is that I want you in my life for absolutely as long as you’ll have me. Because I love you.” 

She looked up into his genuine eyes, “I love you too. I think I’ll want you around for a long time.” 

“Perfect,” he smiled before bringing her in close for another soft kiss. 

As soon as daylight broke, the teens were on a chartered ship back home. Life moved on, if with a little more hassle of press and more worry of parents. And almost as soon as they got back home, Noah made another episode of his podcast. 

_I figured out a cure to my survivor's guilt. Since the victims can't tell their own stories, it's my responsibility to make sure they're heard. Anna Hobbs may not have survived her ordeal, but she lived long enough to take down the bad guy, and that makes her kind of a final girl. That story deserves to be told. But how do you keep living after being a final girl, after seeing all that horror? Maybe finding yourself is a good start. But I have a feeling our story isn't over and there's another sequel in the works, 'cause here's the thing. If Tom, AKA Alex, didn't murder Kieran in that courthouse then who did? Was it someone Kieran hurt? Or was it someone who wants to take his place?_

Athena laughed to herself as she listened to it and did her laundry. Noah always knew how to take a turn with a simple serial killer story. It was never over. At least to the survivors. Senior year flew past them after that. Emma got her tattoo, declaring herself as Duval on her inner wrist. She also applied to a local college. Brooke and Stavo found a nice apartment on the Maddox family dime in New York. Will got enough grants and scholarships for college attendance and on campus housing for the first couple of years. Athena had much the same kind of set up. Audrey and Gina were closer than ever. Noah was excited that his books were still taking off, after finding a new publisher, of course.

Everyone was getting their second lot in life, leaving the horrors of Lakewood behind. There were still a lot of questions left unanswered though. As Noah had already inquired, who killed Kieran if not Tom? And Emma had also told Athena what Tom said about her real family coming to take her home. Neither of them knew what that could mean. And neither liked it. But Athena didn’t want to fall down another rabbit hole. Her past was best left there, and she was focused on building her future. The whole world was open now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be continuing this story in another tv series called The Following. Stay tuned...


End file.
